French Door Details

Keep knocking and the joy inside will eventually open a window and look out to see who’s there. ~Rumi


I am fascinated with the beautiful doors and windows of southern France, this series is focused on the door hardware. I can just imagine the many hands that have touched these knockers and handles over the hundreds of years.

In French a door knocker is “les heurtoirs.” The first knockers were small hammers hanging outside the closed front door. A visitor would use the hammer and bang it against the door. 

The hand door knocker is either in cast iron or brass, painted or unpainted, each one holding a ball, this design might have come from the Middle East. There are two legends about the “five fingers and hand.” One is that it represents the hand of Fatima (daughter of the Prophet Muhammad), and is an Islamic symbol to ward off the “evil eye.” It is believed by some she had anti-evil magical powers. The Jewish legend on this is that the hand of Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron, who also has anti-evil powers. Both legends regard the hand and five fingers to have powers to “keep evil away.”

All of the following images were captured with the iPhone 5. The camera you have with you is always the best camera. Please enjoy!

les heurtoirs, door knocker

les heurtoirs, door knocker

les heurtoirs, door knocker - this is also the door handle - lift and turn sideways it will unlatch the door bolt

les heurtoirs, door knocker

les heurtoirs, door knocker, "The Hand of Fatima"

les heurtoirs, door knocker, "The Hand of Fatima"

les heurtoirs, door knocker, "The Hand of Fatima"

les heurtoirs, door knocker, "The Hand of Fatima"

les heurtoirs, door knocker, "The Hand of Fatima"

les heurtoirs, door knocker

Door locks and knocker

Door locks and knocker

les heurtoirs, door knocker

 

Door locks and knocker

Serpent Door Knocker

les heurtoirs, ornate door knocker

Swan door knocker

Serpent Swallowing its Tail and Lion door knocker

Photography by Terry Rowe. 

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You can see my art work or photographs at www.terryrowe.photography, any photographs in my blog are also available for purchase.