Furniture knob of wood with gesso and painted black with a column of hieroglyphs in yellow.

Dome-shaped furniture knobs were commonly used on Egyptian chests and doors. This example is interesting for it shows how the ancient carpenter has solved the timeless problem of furniture knobs working loose over a period of time. There is a rectangular tongue which is mortised and glued into the back of the knob. The knob would be attached by cutting a rectangular mortise close to the door edge. The tongue would have been pushed, up to its shoulder, into the mortise. Then a hole would be drilled into the door edge and through the tongue then a dowel would be firmly driven into the hole to secure the knob. 

CONDITION NOTE 1998: Very dry and light, surface loss, surface dirt.

Furniture Part (Knob) | National Museums Liverpool

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Furniture knob of wood with gesso and painted black with a column of hieroglyphs in yellow. Dome-shaped furniture knobs were commonly used on Egyptian chests and doors. This example is interesting for it shows how the ancient carpenter has solved the timeless problem of furniture knobs working loose over a period of time. There is a rectangular tongue which is mortised and glued into the back of the knob. The knob would be attached by cutting a rectangular mortise close to the door edge. The tongue would have been pushed, up to its shoulder, into the mortise. Then a hole would be drilled into the door edge and through the tongue then a dowel would be firmly driven into the hole to secure the knob. CONDITION NOTE 1998: Very dry and light, surface loss, surface dirt.

Furniture Part (Knob)

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