Door puller
Door puller (door ring, lion ring) refers to a fitting typical for medieval church doors in the form of a plastic lion head, which usually holds a movable ring in its mouth. It differs from the post-medieval door knocker in its purpose (the lack of impact abutment) and its symbolic and legal meaning.
history
The lion mask with a ring in its mouth was already known as a door fitting in ancient times, above all as a symbol of vigilance and deterrence on the portals of temples and grave structures. Their own Byzantine tradition is derived from them, but the door pullers at the Aachen Palatine Chapel of Charlemagne (around 800) clearly refer to ancient models. Throughout the Middle Ages, door pulling was one of the standard tasks of bronze casting workshops. Most of the examples, which can often be grouped regionally and historically, come from German-speaking countries. Only a few have come down to us from England and France. The southern European pieces are concentrated in northern Italy and Apulia. In the 15th century the motif of the lion's head door pull is lost. But it is noticeable that a surprising number of door pullers survived post-medieval church renovations and were carried over to replaced door leaves. With the new interest in the Middle Ages, there was an abundance of copies, additions and reproductions in the 19th century.
Form and function
The most common form of the medieval door pull is a lion's head protruding plastically in strong relief, which holds a heavy, flexible hanging ring in its mouth and is held behind by a round plate. The place of installation is the middle of the outside of church doors, in the late Middle Ages also of town hall portals. The material is bronze throughout, even if, as in most cases, the rest of the door is made of wood. Double doors require a pair of door pullers. The rings were the least used as door knockers , there was hardly any reason to do so and obviously the lack of impact area speaks against it. Their name-giving purpose, the closing of the church door, takes a back seat to the symbolic and legal functions.
Symbolic and legal meaning
The lion plays an ambiguous role in medieval animal symbolism. It can be understood both as a symbol of Christ and as a warning against eternal damnation. The apotropaic character of the grim lion mask has certainly not been lost in post-ancient times.
In medieval legal practice, the lion ring could have three functions:
- By touching a sacred object one affirmed an oath. Various medieval sources attest to the taking of the oath on a church door ring.
- The traditio per anulum , the symbolic handover of (house) property by grasping the door ring, was a widespread legal custom, which in at least one case can also be proven in the bishop's investment.
- The door puller also played a significant role in church asylum law after the protection zone was expanded to a certain radius around the church portal in 1059. On the other hand, not every door-puller was available per se for granting church asylum. Where and how it was handled was certainly very different.
literature
- Ursula Mende: The door puller of the Middle Ages. Deutscher Verlag für Kunstwissenschaften, Berlin 1981, ISBN 3-87157-086-9 .