Antique Knot & Lattice Carved Igbo Door

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We don't come across working iron hardware this old very often, and it's the kind of detail that makes a … Read more We don't come across working iron hardware this old very often, and it's the kind of detail that makes a piece like this feel less like an object and more like a small piece of someone's actual daily life. The hand-cut iron hinges on this three-plank Igbo door from the Awka guild tradition of Northern Anambra are original, still fixed along the left edge, still telling you exactly how this door once opened and closed. The carving itself unfolds in registers: an interlaced knot form at top and bottom, framed by raised beaded margins, a central field of diagonal basket-weave lattice, and diamond lozenge friezes worked with fine cross-hatching running above and below it. The outer edges are carved in continuous wave and cable bands, giving the whole panel a sense of motion even though it's entirely still. On the reverse, three heavy timber cleats hold the planks together, honest, working joinery rather than anything decorative. This is a door built to last generations, and it has.
We'd place this African door somewhere its full height and the rhythm of its registers can be read top to bottom, a stairwell, a tall entry wall, anywhere height itself becomes part of the story.

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