Design for Door Knocker 1525 - 1583

Curator: Here we have "Design for Door Knocker" created by Etienne Delaune sometime between 1525 and 1583. It's a detailed drawing in pencil, meant as a preparatory sketch for a metalwork piece. What’s your first take on it? Editor: It feels…ornate! I’m immediately drawn to the intricate detailing. It’s like a heraldic fever dream. But I’m also struck by the seeming practicality—a door knocker, something so mundane, elevated to such a decorative, symbolic level. Curator: Exactly! It speaks to the Renaissance fascination with classical forms and embellishment. These door knockers weren’t just functional; they announced the status and taste of the household. Consider the symbolism – the lions representing power, the horse connoting nobility… Editor: And that little dog perched on the arch. Almost comical! Do you think Delaune meant to humanize this otherwise very grand design? To bring in a touch of domesticity and charm to what could be read as just pure ostentation? Curator: Possibly! Animals in art often carried layers of meaning. While lions proclaimed status, a dog often represented loyalty and guardianship. Think about how this object mediated social interaction. Who got to knock? Who was granted entry? The artwork performs status through access. Editor: It’s a controlled point of access, so who and how would become part of a performance too. A carefully choreographed social display for all parties. You can picture the householder watching from a window as an important guest pulls it. Curator: Precisely. And Delaune, in drafting this design, was participating in a larger system of social and artistic production. It showcases his expertise, demonstrates what his workshop was capable of creating, and, by extension, reinforced the power of his patron. It also says a lot about our current desire to keep this image preserved for us. Editor: Makes me think about our contemporary obsession with doorknobs, doorbell chimes, and door knockers as aesthetic elements. What sort of show are we making on our houses today and for who? But looking at the texture and technique, you can also see how sensitively drawn these lines are—quite fragile! Curator: Indeed. It reminds us of the delicacy and skill involved in translating this ephemeral sketch into solid metal. Such different messages in how we adorn portals over time. Thanks for lending me your sensitivity. Editor: My pleasure. These doorways and thresholds are still very telling, as markers of who gets to step across, and who gets to pass us by.