Expand Your Vintage Vocabulary Post #17

Have you ever heard the word "escutcheon" (ih-skuhch-uhn)?  Whether you have or have not, I can guarantee you've seen thousands of escutcheons in your lifetime.  An escutcheon is a decorative plate that surrounds a keyhole to protect it from wear.  Most often made of metal but sometimes porcelain or wood, you will find these on furniture, doors and other places where a lock and key would be used.

I took this beautifully made brass escutcheon and turned it into a pendant:

 

 

This is a porcelain example, also a pendant.  I thought it would be fun to sell an escutcheon with a skeleton key, and the owner could give the key to someone special.  Very symbolic, no?

 

 

A classic bat-wing shaped brass escutcheon:

 

 

To learn more about escutcheons and other furniture and house hardware, visit Robinson's Antiques, an online catalog of replacement hardware that's extensive and a great resource if you are ever in need of a knob for your Hoosier cupboard, spool cabinet, or something specific.  It's nice to know you can replace missing knobs, handles and even escutcheons on many old pieces.  Don't give up on replacing a missing piece of hardware until you've checked Robinson's!

Mitzi

Comments

[Annette]

Hi Mitzi,
I hope you are OK today. Good to see you keep on bloggin!! Interesting lesson and I love your pendants!
Annette

[Mitzi Curi]

Yes, Annette, being the prolific writer that I am, I have many blog posts pre-written and waiting in the wings so I dont have to scramble when theres an emergency. But I am feeling better, too. Life goes on!

Mitzi

[Kat]

I love your Wed. posts, especially this one. Thank you for all the time you devote to this!

[Kat]

And thank you for the tip on Robinson's. I just found a few things there that are in my old house! There's a set of hinges that I need to strip to find the pattern that's on them so I can hunt them down. I love knowing where things came from and how old they are. It'll take me the rest of my life to catalog everything!

[Andrea]

Thanks for posting this! I'm actually in need of one of these, but I didn't know what they were called. Now that I do, maybe I'll be able to find what I'm looking for.

[Mitzi Curi]

Hi Kat,

Ooh, Im so glad to hear a little education is appreciated. Of course, I think our group is pretty sharp to begin with....

Mitzi

[Mitzi Curi]

Im glad you found that link helpful. I plan to share all my secrets eventually!

Mitzi

[Mitzi Curi]

Andrea,

Im glad this was helpful. Ive seen trunks or chests with missing escutcheons that were all scratched up around the keyhole. Thats just unacceptable! I hope you can find one that meets your needs.

Mitzi