Persian Locks: 1500 Years of Iranian Padlocks

Whereas a fish shape is merely suggested by the lock body of No. 13, and also to an extent by that
of lock No. 3, this form is quite clear in the third example (No. 140, p. 78). Such an evolution could
well be an indication of a very late Sassanian or even early Islamic (seventh to ninth centuries) date
for this bronze fish-shape lock, as one finds the complete development and widespread use of entire
locks in animal form by the eighth to tenth centuries. Another point of similarity between No. 10
and the figural locks of the eighth to thirteenth centuries is that they were all sand cast in two pieces
rather than in a single mold. This is also true of No. 10, which shares with the bronze fish-shape
lock the additional characteristic of having a barbed-spring mechanism worked by a turn key with
a bit. The area of the keyhole of locks 10 and 140 is similar, but the rest of the lock bodies differ
substantially.
Despite strong resemblances, the lock body of No. 10 and the locking piece shown with it are in fact
from two different locks. They must be from the same period, however, as the decorative use of a
small animal is almost identical in both. Given the apparent trend toward fully figural lock bodies
that culminated in the products of the early Islamic period, this bronze lock body and locking piece
with tiny perched animals should perhaps be dated somewhat before the bronze fish (No. 140).
The keyholes of Nos. 10 and 140 were once each covered by a hinged door, something seen in other
kinds of metal objects in the Sassanian period.
One more lock that could well be pre-Islamic is No. 8, which was found in Azerbaijan. It is of the
barbed-spring, push-key type and is made entirely of steel that has become highly corroded by the
elements over a long period of time. An eagle’s head protrudes from the end above the keyhole (at
the far left in the illustration), bringing to mind the incidental use of tiny animals on No. 10. As is
the case of the other early locks, the side shackle bar in Nos. 9 and 10 is quite long.
Lock 9. Bronze semifigural lock, width 12.3 cm, heigth 4.8 cm, barbed-spring mechanism, 7th or 8th century A.D.
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