Object in the shape of a key, perhaps a padlock, of cast bronze, engraved and drilled, and hammered iron, both heavily corroded.

Object of cast bronze and iron in the shape of a key. It has a rectangular head with a knop on the outer side; a prominent shoulder; and a shaft that is square in section near the shoulder, with faceted angles, but is then octagonal for most of its length. Three teeth, rectangular in section, project from the shaft. Engraved and drilled decoration. The head of the key was either hinged (Melikian-Chirvani) or acted as the shackle of the padlock (Tanavoli and Wertime), but it is now immobile due to corrosion of the metal. It has a dull green patina due to corrosion.

According to Parviz Tanavoli and John Wertime, the notched-shackle mechanism is known from padlocks of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, 'but this mechanism may be considerably older if what is called a "key" from tenth-century Bojnurd (in Khorasan) now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London is in fact a lock in the shape of a key, as are most of the later ones with the notched-shackle mechanism.' (Locks from Iran, p. 47)

Purchased for £90 from Said Motamed. Frankfurt, 18th May 1971. According the the dealer's information this key was found at Bojnurd in eastern Iran, like V&A: M.19-1971.

M.20-1971