On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Door Knocker
Not on view
In the territories of the Seljuq successor states, sophisticated cast-bronze door knockers such as this were used primarily to furnish wood doors, usually one per door panel, on public buildings such as mosques, madrasas, and mausoleums, and on the private residences of the elite.
This magnificent door knocker (one of a pair) belongs to a group of door knockers characterized by a vertically elongated, symmetrical arabesque-like design based on the shape of a trilobed arch, intertwined with stems and layered half-palmettes. They stand apart for their weight, monumentality, and complexity of design. Among the finest to survive from the medieval Islamic world, this piece speaks to the virtuosity of Seljuq metalwork.
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