rare 1870s ludwig kruezinger-designed cast bronze residential entrance lion head doorknob

original highly sought after 19th century antique american victorian era ornamental cast bronze figural lion doorknob manufactured for the the russell & erwin mfg. co., new britain, ct., by the metallic compression casting company, boston, mass. the oversized bronze residential entrance doorknob was designed and patented by ludwig kruezinger. the exceptionally detailed doorknob measures 3 inches in diameter. the oversized doorknob contains lightly incised manufacturer markings on the reverse. the doorknob exhibits an exceptional cast that is intricately designed and masterfully executed in deep relief. light surface wear evident. nicely aged surface patina. metallic compression manufactured "house trimmings", such as knobs, hinges, escutcheons, bell pulls, along with dies for printing wall paper, and for bookbinders, and a variety of articles. the inventions of charles and michael smith, introduced with complete success into practical operation by the metallic compression casting company at their foundry in bomerville, near boston, revolutionized metallurgic art, so far as casting is concerned. by employing the patented process developed by smith and mason, metal was taken from the mould, not with a rough surface, as in all the heretofore known modes of casting, but as smooth and perfectly finished as a coin or medal struck by a die. the doorknob is part of the len blumin collection purchased outright by urban remains. all of the figural doorknobs were used in blumin's early 1980's book, "victorian decorative art: a photographic study of ornamental design in antique doorknobs."