Padlock and key
Elevating less-exalted materials through expertise, celebrated locksmiths in urban centers such as Augsburg took their place beside goldsmiths and armorers. Possibly a guild showpiece or even a masterpiece produced for guild admission, this padlock boasts a beautifully coordinated mechanism designed to confound an interloper but to work with systematic clarity for those in the know. Disguised, the real keyhole is revealed when one of the shields is turned to the right, releasing two bolts, unlatching a cover inside, and causing a panel to slide upward.
Artwork Details
- Title: Padlock and key
- Maker: André Omereler
- Date: 1531
- Culture: Southern German
- Medium: Steel, partially gilded brass
- Dimensions: Overall (.10a): 7 × 5 7/16 × 2 9/16 in. (17.8 × 13.8 × 6.5 cm);
Length (assembled .10d, e): 3 3/4 in. (9.5 cm) - Classification: Metalwork-Steel
- Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1957
- Object Number: 57.137.10a–e
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1565–70
Wenzel Jamnitzer
ca. 1550
German
16th century
Wenzel Jamnitzer
ca. 1568
German
ca. 1500–25
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