Door
ca.1400 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This door probably belonged to a major public building in the German city of Nuremberg because it is decorated with the arms of the city. The pine door is covered with sheet iron that contains a lozenge shaped design. In addition to the arms of the city, two other symbols can be found within the lozenges: the displayed single-headed eagle of the King of Germany, and the rampant double-tailed lion of the King of Bohemia. The presence of these animals suggests that the door dates to the late fourteenth century because both Charles IV (1316-1378) and Wenceslas (1361-1400) were both kings of Germany and Bohemia.
The use of iron on doors was extremely practical as it made them more robust and able to protect a building from the threats of the outside world. This example has a small iron grille known as a guichet, which allows the occupants of the building to see who was outside the door. This lozenge-shaped opening is kept secure through the use of iron trellis-work that criss-crosses across the guichet.
The use of iron on doors was extremely practical as it made them more robust and able to protect a building from the threats of the outside world. This example has a small iron grille known as a guichet, which allows the occupants of the building to see who was outside the door. This lozenge-shaped opening is kept secure through the use of iron trellis-work that criss-crosses across the guichet.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Embossed sheet iron |
| Brief description | Pine door covered with embossed sheet iron, the decoration incorporates the arms of Nuremberg, ca. 1400. |
| Physical description | Pine door covered with embossed sheet iron. The decoration incorporates the arms of Nuremberg, the single-headed eagle of the German king and the double-tailed lion of the king of Bohemia. The door has an arched top, a grated hatch in the shape of a diamond. The diamond shaped panels are held in place by diagonally intersecting bands with nails, the heads of the nails are shaped like petals. |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label |
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| Object history | The register indicates the door was originally acquired in Nuremberg in about 1882, possibly by Miss Agnes M Christian who sold it to the V&A for £50. Door knocker (M.255-1921) was included in the sale. Historical significance: Marian Campbell suggests in Decorative Ironwork that decoration of this type (depicting the symbols of the kings of Germany and Bavaria) indicate it was made for a public building. She suggests that it was made either in the reign of Charles IV (r.1346-78) or of Wenceslas (r.1376-1400), as each reigned as both king of Germany and Bohemia. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Associations | |
| Summary | This door probably belonged to a major public building in the German city of Nuremberg because it is decorated with the arms of the city. The pine door is covered with sheet iron that contains a lozenge shaped design. In addition to the arms of the city, two other symbols can be found within the lozenges: the displayed single-headed eagle of the King of Germany, and the rampant double-tailed lion of the King of Bohemia. The presence of these animals suggests that the door dates to the late fourteenth century because both Charles IV (1316-1378) and Wenceslas (1361-1400) were both kings of Germany and Bohemia. The use of iron on doors was extremely practical as it made them more robust and able to protect a building from the threats of the outside world. This example has a small iron grille known as a guichet, which allows the occupants of the building to see who was outside the door. This lozenge-shaped opening is kept secure through the use of iron trellis-work that criss-crosses across the guichet. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.254-1921 |
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| Record created | June 12, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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