door knocker

Door knockers are often ornate, but may be no more than a simple fitting with a metal bob, or ring.

German professor Franz Sales Meyer distinguished three kinds of door knocker: the "ring", the "hammer", and an ornate category which could take the shape of an animal or another figure. High demand for antique door knockers in the early 20th century in the United States caused forged versions to emerge.

• Illustration — A British cast iron door knocker • Illustration — "Ring of Mercy" on the Dom (Cathedral) St. Maria. of Augsburg. • Illustration — Dragonhead door knockers, Bulguksa Temple, Gyeongju, South Korea • Illustration — Hamsa door knocker in Morocco • Illustration — Angel door knocker in Harderwijk, the Netherlands • Illustration — Door knocker in Venice • Illustration — Door knocker in Orléans, France • Illustration — Door knocker in Haji Bulagi House, Iran • Illustration — Door knocker in Behnam House, Iran • Illustration — A door in Fez, Morocco with two knockers. Traditionally, one was used by women and the other by men (see top left). • Illustration — Door knocker depicting an Eagle warrior in Querétaro, Mexico. • Illustration — Hand-shaped door knocker in Spain • Illustration — Lion head door knocker at the Raczyńskich Library • Illustration — Renaissance door knocker in Toulouse, France