Doorknob c. 1846s

This is a glass doorknob, made at the Clichy Glasshouse in France between 1837 and 1885. It features a cameo of a man in profile. During this time, cameos were often used to signal status and were a popular form of portraiture. Consider the power dynamics inherent in a domestic object like a doorknob, literally controlling access to private spaces. Who had the privilege to open these doors, and whose likeness was deemed worthy of adorning them? The cameo itself, a small-scale relief carving, speaks to larger narratives of wealth, taste, and historical memory. The male figure is idealized, but also frozen, his identity somewhat obscured by the medium. The doorknob is thus a fascinating intersection of the intimate and the public, the functional and the symbolic, inviting us to reflect on the thresholds we cross, both literal and metaphorical.