Door Knocker

This door knocker is made of cast steel and has been formed into a ring with confronted dragons’ head endings. While attached to a door, the underside of the door knocker is plain whereas the upper part is decorated with a large area of an openwork floral pattern and tulip-motifs inlaid in gold. The motif of the dragon, as it can be seen in the two confronted dragons’ head finials of this door knocker, as well as other marvellous creatures, is a typical feature of Timurid art during the 8th century until early 10th century AH/14th until early 16th century CE. Influenced by Chinese traditions, the motif of the dragon also appears on other Timurid metal objects, ceramics and manuscripts.