Door lock and key

Unknown

ca. 1770 · Gilt bronze; steel key · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Designed for a double door, this splendid object is as decorative as it is practical. Long thought to be French, this lock was probably made in Vienna by an Austrian locksmith for one of the rooms of Palais Paar, an impressive Baroque residence that was renovated between 1765 and 1772 by the French-born architect Isidor Canevale (active 1760-1788). Paneling in a late Rococo style, assembled from two separate rooms of Palais Paar, is installed in the Wrightsman Galleries of French Decorative Art.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1770

Medium

Gilt bronze; steel key

Culture

probably Austrian, Vienna

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 1971