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Door Knockers

North Italy (probably Venetian)

Early 17th century

Just as we treasure our homes today, families in Renaissance and Baroque Venice took pride in the facades of their palazzi. Whether approached from the land or the water, the facade offered a first impression of the family within. Elaborate bronze door knockers began to appear on palace doors in the sixteenth century. These sculptural enhancements provided yet another opportunity to impress. 


These door knockers were made for a set of monumental doors. The exceptionally high quality of the leaping lions emerging from fantastic leonine masks attest to the wealth and status of the unidentified patrons. Lions, the symbol of Venice, allude to the family’s loyalties and civic pride. This powerful work demonstrates the Venetian skill of uniting the utilitarian nature of an object with its aesthetic value.

  • Titles Door Knockers (Descriptive)
  • Medium bronze
  • Dimensions (each) 19 x 8 x 7 1/2 in. (48.3 x 20.3 x 19.1 cm)
  • Credit Line Museum purchase with funds provided by the 2005 Museum Dinner and Ball, 2005.9a-d
  • Work Type door knockers
  • Classification Sculpture

See More of the Collection

The Judgment of Paris, Hans von Aachen, oil on copper
Line drawing of a woman sitting. She wears a long sleeve dress and holds a long cylindrical shape in her hands.
Au Bon Coin, rue des Haudriettes, Eugène Atget, gelatin silver print
In an oval format: in the center, in highest relief, Saint Anthony of Padua kneels on clouds, with his left hand placed on the open book before him and his right pressed over his heart. He gazes above him at the Christ Child. Incised rays radiate from the Child. Below Anthony's book are lilies, and two cherubim. In front of Anthony, in lower relief, is a half-length St. Peter holding two keys in his left hand. Behind Anthony, also in low relief, is St. Lawrence with both hands resting on the gridiron in front of him.