Chiselled steel key
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
ca. 1630
This steel key was made in France around 1630 by an unknown maker. Crafted using chiselling and cutting techniques, the piece incorporates an oval bow filled with intricate, perforated scrollwork and topped with a small finial. The bow joins the stem via a finely chiselled Corinthian capital. Along the stem, it features a section of arrow-head form and is fitted with a sheath featuring a triangular bar.
A notable functional element of the key is a removable barrel cover. This feature was designed to allow the single key to operate or fit a second lock. The wedge-shaped bit extends from the lower stem, terminating in a flanged edge that is cut in a comb fashion with varied notches. Measured without its sheath, the key has a length of 16 cm and an overall width of 4.1 cm.
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 key features a removable barrel cover specifically designed to enable it to fix or operate a second lock.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Steel, chiselled, cut
- Dimensions
- Length (without sheath): 16 cm; Width: 4.1 cm
Technical characteristics
- 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
- Key
- Museum object number
- 608-1895
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.