"Masterpiece" Lock
Unknown European, European
late 16th-early 17th century
Iron, brass
Overall: 10 × 6 3/8 × 3 in. (25.4 × 16.2 × 7.6 cm)
Overall: 9 × 6 3/8 × 2 in. (22.9 × 16.2 × 5.1 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Gift of Mark Lansburgh, Class of 1949
2007.70.3
Geography
Place Made: Augsburg, Germany, Europe
Period
1600-1800
Object Name
Furnishings: Household Accessory
Research Area
Decorative Arts
Not on view
Label
Just as students at Dartmouth might submit a thesis to prove their readiness for graduation, a 17th-century journeyman locksmith presented this lock to the guild in Augsburg to demonstrate their worthiness as a master craftsman. The locking mechanisms remain visible and showcase the maker’s practical abilities, which are supplemented by decorative details such as a gilded cockatrice, owl, and vulture on the strike plate near the center. In giving attention to both aesthetics and functionality, the maker demonstrated pride in their craft and gives the present viewer insight into the processes of creating a seemingly mundane object.
From the 2024 exhibition Living with Sculpture: Presence and Power in Europe, 1400–1750, curated by Elizabeth Rice Mattison, Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Academic Programming and Curator of European Art and Ashley Offill, Curator of Collections
Course History
History 42.01, Women's Gender, and Sexuality Studies 22.01, Gender & European Society, Patrick Meehan, Spring 2024
History 96.39, Saints and Relics, Cecilia Gaposchkin, Spring 2024
Italian 1.01, Introductory Italian I, Noemi Perego, Spring 2024
Italian 11.01, Intensive Italian, Floriana Ciniglia, Spring 2024
Italian 2.01, Introductory Italian II, Floriana Ciniglia, Spring 2024
Italian 3.01, Introductory Italian III, Tania Convertini, Spring 2024
Italian 3.02, Introductory Italian III, Giorgio Alberti, Spring 2024
Exhibition History
Living with Sculpture: Presence and Power in Europe, 1400–1750, Citrin Family Gallery and Engles Family Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, March 23, 2024–March 22, 2025.
Provenance
Mark Lansburgh, Santa Fe, New Mexico; given to present collection, 2007.
This record is part of an active database that includes information from historic documentation that may not have been recently reviewed. Information may be inaccurate or incomplete. We also acknowledge some language and imagery may be offensive, violent, or discriminatory. These records reflect the institution’s history or the views of artists or scholars, past and present. Our collections research is ongoing.
We welcome questions, feedback, and suggestions for improvement. Please contact us at: Hood.Collections@dartmouth.edu