Putti are a recurring motif in old hardware – they symbolize a lot of things, including divinity, fertility, and bounty. And this horn playing little putti certainly has been living in bounty – as we would say in Australia, “He’s certainly been in a good paddock!”. He would be a quite obese child by today’s standards, and at greatly increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. But he just wouldn’t look as happy and comforting as a thin little rake, would he?! This gorgeous door knocker would be lovely with a little bit of spit and polish. Photo credits: Door knocker...

This awesome door knocker is on Powis Castle in Wales … where they have a rich history and tradition closely tied to dragons (or ‘wyrms’!). The set of his body very much seems to suggest soaring and flight … but his tentacles seem quite planted on the door, and his tail is twisted around back towards his body. A piece full of contradictions, all the more enjoyable for their genuine story and history. Photo credits: Door Knocker by Shappa

This door knocker is from Verona … when you look at it from a ways back, it could easily be a benevolent guardian angel, poised above your bed, making sure that no harm comes to you while you are asleep. When you have a closer look though, you start to notice that the face is a little bit frowny… there is a second face underneath the angel, which also looks like it might rather eat you while you were asleep, than prevent anything else from doing so. And what guardian angel has other creatures growing from the tips of its wings? It starts to look more and more infernal the closer you look. It...

This is what can happen when you have a door with a knocker, but no backplate… but only if you have many centuries of knocking to wait around for! This knocker is another one from France – it resides in Lyon. You wouldn’t guess it from the photo though, would you? The dust, the grain of the wood, and the pitting of the metal all seem just a bit too raw and real to be in sophisticated France! This door knocker is a very far cry from the Louis-style hardware that is prevalent among antique doors. Photo credits: Rusty Old Door Knocker by Anthony Dawson

This crazy knocker is in France, and not in general keeping with the usual charm and traditionalism of French architecture! It is in Grenoble, where there is apparently a ‘magic square’, and much of the surrounding architecture is themed around the occult and magic. As an interesting side note, his hair looks very similar to a lion’s mane – the most usual door knocker motif, worldwide! I wonder if the artisan was simply so used to making lion knockers, that everything else came out looking a bit lion-ish, too. The set of his eyes is also similar, although if it were a lion, the smile would...