Door knocker

File:Door Knocker MET cdi55-61-32ab.jpg

Iron door knocker, from the 15th–16th centuries, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City)

A door knocker is an item of door furniture that allows people outside a house or other dwelling or building to alert those inside to their presence. A door knocker has a part fixed to the door, and a part (usually metal) which is attached to the door by a hinge, and may be lifted and used to strike a plate fitted to the door, or the door itself, making a noise. The struck plate, if present, would be supplied and fitted with the knocker. Door knockers are often ornate, but may be no more than a simple fitting with a metal bob, or ring.

Types

German professor Franz Sales Meyer distinguished three kinds of door knocker: the "ring", the "hammer", and an ornate category which could take the shape of an animal or another figure. High demand for antique door knockers in the early 20th century in the United States caused forged versions to emerge.

Gallery

• A British cast iron door knocker
  A British cast iron door knocker
• "Ring of Mercy" on the Dom (Cathedral) St. Maria. of Augsburg.
  "Ring of Mercy" on the Dom (Cathedral) St. Maria. of Augsburg.
• Dragonhead door knockers, Bulguksa Temple, Gyeongju, South Korea
  Dragonhead door knockers, Bulguksa Temple, Gyeongju, South Korea
• Hamsa door knocker in Morocco
  Hamsa door knocker in Morocco
• Angel door knocker in Harderwijk, the Netherlands
  Angel door knocker in Harderwijk, the Netherlands
• Door knocker in Venice
  Door knocker in Venice
• Door knocker in Orléans, France
  Door knocker in Orléans, France
• Door knocker in Haji Bulagi House, Iran
  Door knocker in Haji Bulagi House, Iran
• Door knocker in Behnam House, Iran
  Door knocker in Behnam House, Iran
• A door in Fez, Morocco with two knockers. Traditionally, one was used by women and the other by men (see top left).
  A door in Fez, Morocco with two knockers. Traditionally, one was used by women and the other by men (see top left).
• Door knocker depicting an Eagle warrior in Querétaro, Mexico.
  Door knocker depicting an Eagle warrior in Querétaro, Mexico.
• Hand-shaped door knocker in Spain
  Hand-shaped door knocker in Spain
• Lion head door knocker at the Raczyńskich Library
  Lion head door knocker at the Raczyńskich Library
• Renaissance door knocker in Toulouse, France
  Renaissance door knocker in Toulouse, France

See also

• Doorbell

External links

• A Brief History of the Door Knocker