Hinge Plate
1680-1710 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The intricate lock has four turning bolts that can be set to various combinations. For added security, a sliding panel reveals two dials to record every turn of the lock.
This type of lock is a rim lock, with its mechanism entirely enclosed in a case to be mounted on a door. Unlike later mortise locks that were built into doors and might match the overall decorative scheme of a room, rim locks could be removed when the owner moved house, to be fixed to a door in the new house.
Locks and keys were symbols of ownership and authority. Lockplates and key escutcheons, made of highly reflective materials, provided the finishing touches to decorative schemes.
English locksmiths were based mainly in London and the Midlands and were renowned for their ingenuity. Wolverhampton produced, according to one writer in 1686, locks ‘curiously polisht and the keys so finely wrought, that ‘tis reasonable to think they were never exceeded’. The diarist John Evelyn recorded in 1654 that a lock with ‘rare contrivances’ could be viewed as a masterpiece, ‘esteem’d a curiositie even among foraine princes’.
This type of lock is a rim lock, with its mechanism entirely enclosed in a case to be mounted on a door. Unlike later mortise locks that were built into doors and might match the overall decorative scheme of a room, rim locks could be removed when the owner moved house, to be fixed to a door in the new house.
Locks and keys were symbols of ownership and authority. Lockplates and key escutcheons, made of highly reflective materials, provided the finishing touches to decorative schemes.
English locksmiths were based mainly in London and the Midlands and were renowned for their ingenuity. Wolverhampton produced, according to one writer in 1686, locks ‘curiously polisht and the keys so finely wrought, that ‘tis reasonable to think they were never exceeded’. The diarist John Evelyn recorded in 1654 that a lock with ‘rare contrivances’ could be viewed as a masterpiece, ‘esteem’d a curiositie even among foraine princes’.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Steel, brass, forged and chiselled, blued |
| Brief description | Hinge plate of pierced brass on a blued steel base, decorated with vines, tulips and sunflowers, England, Birmingham, ca. 1680, possibly by John Wilkes (pair with 5404-1859) |
| Physical description | Rectangular hinge plates (this and 5405-1859) of pierced and engraved brass on a blued steel base, the brass in the form of twirling tendrils with leaves, tulips and sunflowers. The narrower hinged sections are engraved with leaves and vines (possibly later). The hinges are are fixed with a turned steel baluster rod. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label | LOCK AND HINGE
Brass and steel
England; late 17th century.
made by John Wilkes of Birmingham (d. 1733)
5403 and 5405-1859
Engraved brass, with openwork over a steel plate. Signed, IOHANNES WILKES DE BIRMINGHAM FECIT. See 207-1879(07/1994) |
| Object history | This lock has open scrollwork in brass contrasting with a ‘blued’ steel base. The lock has four turning bolts. For added security, a sliding panel reveals two dials to record every turn of the lock. This type of lock is a rim lock, with its mechanism entirely enclosed in a case to be mounted on a door. Unlike later mortise locks that were built into doors and might match the overall decorative scheme of a room, rim locks could be removed when the owner moved house, to be fixed to a door in the new house. The bold proportions and twirling ornament are unmistakeably Baroque and would complement contemporary decoration in the house without matching exactly. On this example, even the inner steel workings are finely engraved. The Museum acquired the lock for £15.15 from the Londesborough Sale in 1888. |
| Production | Based on similar signed locks of the period |
| Summary | The intricate lock has four turning bolts that can be set to various combinations. For added security, a sliding panel reveals two dials to record every turn of the lock. This type of lock is a rim lock, with its mechanism entirely enclosed in a case to be mounted on a door. Unlike later mortise locks that were built into doors and might match the overall decorative scheme of a room, rim locks could be removed when the owner moved house, to be fixed to a door in the new house. Locks and keys were symbols of ownership and authority. Lockplates and key escutcheons, made of highly reflective materials, provided the finishing touches to decorative schemes. English locksmiths were based mainly in London and the Midlands and were renowned for their ingenuity. Wolverhampton produced, according to one writer in 1686, locks ‘curiously polisht and the keys so finely wrought, that ‘tis reasonable to think they were never exceeded’. The diarist John Evelyn recorded in 1654 that a lock with ‘rare contrivances’ could be viewed as a masterpiece, ‘esteem’d a curiositie even among foraine princes’. |
| Associated objects | |
| Bibliographic reference | Rupert Gentle and Rachael Feild, Domestic Metalwork 1640-1820, Antique Collectors Club, 1998, p. 386 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 5403-1859 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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