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Door knockers were traditionally made in the form of animal heads, either lions or oxen. This one, from the door of Susa Cathedral in Piedmont, is unusual. It has been considered a Lombard work containing elements of German art, but in motifs and style it is typically barbarian. The hybrid head, the ring in the shape of a serpent, the lions, and the jumble of arabesques on the supporting plaque are closer to a Merovingian or Irish jewel than to Italian sculpture. If the 12th-century date frequently suggested for this piece is accepted, then the persistence of pre-Romanesque traditions in the minor arts must also be accepted.
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