Door lock and latch plate
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
ca. 1500
This object is a door lock-plate with latch fittings crafted from wrought iron. Made around 1500 in France by an unknown metalworker, the piece was originally intended for two locks, although only the upper mechanism remains recorded with an attached latch. The plate measures 11 inches in height by 4.75 inches in width and was shaped using forging, incising, and chiselling techniques.
The surface of the plate is outlined and partitioned into two principal compartments framed by narrow raised bands. The lower register features a trefoil arch along with three decorative quatrefoil-headed nails used to fasten the plate securely to a door. The upper compartment is subdivided horizontally and displays a crocketed pointed arch that culminates in a pastoral staff. Positioned over the upper keyhole escutcheon is a coat of arms displaying a shield charged with a lion rampant and crozier.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
The decorative heraldry featuring a lion rampant alongside a pastoral staff and crozier suggests that the lock was originally installed in an ecclesiastical building.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Wrought iron
- Dimensions
- Height: 11 in; Width: 4.75 in
Technical characteristics
- Inscriptions
- Date: Text: Research required; Latest: Research required; Earliest: Research required; Note: Research required; Type: Research required; Medium: Research required; Method: Research required; Script: Research required; Content: The keyhole escutcheon at the top is decorated with a lion rampant and crozier.; Language: Research required; Position: Research required; Inscriber: Name: Id: Research required; Text: Research required; Association: Id: Research required; Text: Research required; Description: Research required; Translation: Research required; Interpretation: Research required; Transliteration: Research required
- Maker recorded
- Unknown
- Place recorded
- France
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- Lock
- Museum object number
- 521-1895
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.