Door with heraldry symbols

Central Europe (Pilsen? / Nuremberg?), mid-15th century

Wood, forged and hammered wrought iron

H: 182 cm, W: 90 cm

UMP 1309

Donated by architect Ferdinand Sterzl in 1880.

This single-leaf wood panel door reinforced with dovetail battens is covered with relief-hammered iron plates featuring heraldry symbols – two-headed eagles, the symbol of the Holy Roman Empire, and raised double-tailed lions, the heraldic figure of the Kingdom of Bohemia. A plate with a hammered sunburst is placed at the doorstops, which have not been preserved. The iron plates have been applied in a diagonal pattern, with criss-crossing forged bands and nails with raised heads that have been die-forged into decorative rosettes. The door does not have a lock.

The door was originally mounted in the stone saddle-shaped portal in the inner tract of the U Zlatého Růžence building (no. 104) on the corner of Republic Square and Dřevěná Street. After the building was demolished in 1879, the door was owned by the Pilsen Jewish Community. It was later donated to the museum via architect Ferdinand Sterzl. (lk)