Door knocker, cast and engraved bronze
The central, very rich arabesque on this magnificent door knocker consists of characteristic palmettes with little curls. It lies on several levels and has different slants.
The ornamentation is closely related to the one found on a number of architectural decorations, woodcarvings, and metalwork from northern Iraq, for example on an astronomical table signed by Muhammad ibn Khutlukh al-Mawsili in 639 H = 1241-1242 in the British Museum. It must be considered a late derivative of the Samarra style, which had also been developed in Iraq some 400 years earlier. The powerful horseshoe-shaped frame might bring to mind stylized dragons – a well-known motif in Jazira.
The ornamentation is closely related to the one found on a number of architectural decorations, woodcarvings, and metalwork from northern Iraq, for example on an astronomical table signed by Muhammad ibn Khutlukh al-Mawsili in 639 H = 1241-1242 in the British Museum. It must be considered a late derivative of the Samarra style, which had also been developed in Iraq some 400 years earlier. The powerful horseshoe-shaped frame might bring to mind stylized dragons – a well-known motif in Jazira.