Door knocker

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This iron door knocker in the shape of a dragon was probably made in Siena, for it is most closely related to such a prized accessory of the Sienese palazzo as the griffin-shaped banner holder on the Palazzo Grisoli. The dragon is in all likelihood not much later than the first quarter of the sixteenth century, since in knockers made later in that century the spontaneity of the earlier Sienese work seems to have been lost. Both dragon and griffin were constructed from an iron bar, rapidly bent into shape while hot from the forge. Separate pieces for wings and feet were then heated, drawn out, and attached to the bar with iron rivets. Finally, hammer and punch were used to supply the identifying features of the animals and to create a satisfying surface decoration, as, for example, the pattern of hammer blows on the dragon’s body that suggests its scales. These vivacious creatures demonstrate the strength and liveliness of form of the best work of the Tuscan Renaissance blacksmiths.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.

Metropolitan Museum of Art