Sepino (Molise)

Door knocker

First half of the 12th century

    Bronze knocker, one of a pair of ornaments from the church of Sepino, land of the Norman duchy of Bojano. An openwork disk with interlaced patterns bears a very realistic mask of a lion whose mane forms a crown with even forelocks. Stylistic comparisons liken this door knocker to those at Troia Cathedral, which are accurately dated and attributed to the workshops of Oderisius de Bénévent, c. 1127.

Dimensions of the object
Diamètre 19, 5 cm; épaisseur 7, 7 cm

Bibliography
- I Normanni, popolo d'Europa, Roma, Venezia, 1994, a cura di Mario d'Onofio, n° 270.

Location
Sepino, church of  S. Cristina

Photography : DR