Okay, we've had this discussion here at AEET before about antique animal depictions possibly not being recognizable in this modern age vs. how they were interpreted way back long ago (was lion / wolf reference material really that hard to come by in the 1800's?!) The tag on these very old iron wall mounts called them "lions", but honestly, do these look like lions to anyone? I put the question to social media yesterday and got a lot of answers, ie: wolves, demons, gargoyles, even griffins. What's everyone here at Blogger think? Also, does anyone know what these were actually used for? I'm just guessing about them being wall mounts since they're completely flat on the backside. Thanks ahead o'time for any useful info!
UPDATE IMAGE ADDED: I appreciate the comments on this post so far, but I also now realize I should have added a picture so everyone could get an actual idea of how big these things are, which is to say, they're not big at all. They're very small in fact, and both can practically fit in the palm of my hand. Please keep sending in those thoughts, you guys are the best! :)
If they were hollow in back, I would have said string dispenser, back when packages were wrapped with string. Pull the string out of the mouth.
ReplyDeleteI know the ones you mean, Tom. These wolf heads though are very small, they wouldn’t hold a very useful amount of string
ReplyDeleteMy guess would be door knockers, missing the rings for knocking which would fit in the mouths...certainly look similar to old door knockers I've seen on ancient doors in Liverpool, York, Edinburgh, etc.
ReplyDeleteGood guess but these are much too small for door knockers...okay, I've updated the post so everyone can see exactly how small. They probably look heavier than they actually are too, which is to say, they're not heavy at all either.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to mystery animals like these the best answer to what they are is chimeras, or the early work of Dr. Moreau.
ReplyDeleteMy guesses-
Part of a drawer knob with the rings missing, though I see very little wear in the mouths where the rings would have gone.
The lion motif was popular in Great Britian around the turn of the century, so these might have been add on items for an Englishman's garden. I could imagine these would be attached to garden pots, on fencing, possibly on a fountian but these don't show any effect of water flowing through the mouths.
Thinking about it and doing some google searches, I think wolf is right, and they were decorative, because at least I ran into some reproductions that have the same look.
ReplyDeleteAs in decorative, I don't mean wall hangings (but that's a fine usage) as they are small, but maybe like decorations on a dresser or piece of furniture.
The problem is some old wolf stuff the fur is carved like it's a mane. It's the mane that makes you think lion.
And I'm about 5% sure I'm right. That can be taken to the bank! I think I'll stick to comic over-analysis!
Maybe they're drawer pulls. Hobby Lobby sells pulls in a huge variety of shapes including octopuses and unicorns.
ReplyDeleteDrawer pulls do seem to be the most logical answer, and upon closer inspection the mouth is certainly shaped for something like a small hoop to go through from one side to the other. So I've got demon werewolf drawer pulls now!
ReplyDeleteThanks again to everyone that chimed in! Mucho appreciated!