Key
Unknown Artist
14th century
Medium
Iron
Dimensions
Overall: 2 1/2 x 15/16 x 3/8 in. (6.4 x 2.4 x 0.9 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Iron
Culture
German
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Henry G. Marquand, 1887
Accession Number
87.11.89
Art Historical Context
Step into the Medieval Art galleries and discover this unassuming yet intriguing 14th-century iron key Germany, crafted by an unknown artisan. Measuring just 2½ x 15/16 x 3/8 inches, its compact size suggests it once secured a chest, door, or private chamber in a world where locks guarded treasures, secrets, and sacred spaces. Forged from durable iron—a staple medium for functional metalwork—this piece exemplifies the blacksmith's skill in shaping metal through heating, hammering, and quenching, techniques honed over generations. In medieval Germany, keys were potent symbols of power and trus...