Mystery doorknob

[mlight]

Friends!
So I have a bit of a garden-related mystery. I recently purchased a set of beautiful bronze door knobs from a antiques dealer. They were sold to me as "lotus blossom" doorknobs, but I've never seen a lotus bloom that looks anything like this. I'm hoping some of you gardening geniuses might have an idea of what the flower represented is?? Thanks!

 

[Esther Knapicius]

"HE" told you what it was, maybe "HE" is not a gardener, and just wanted to label it something to market it. Me, I 'd be simply thrilled to get a find like that, and call it a mystical flower, as the artist of the door knob takes artistic expression to develop it as he /she chooses. It is a wonderful find. good for you. Hope you can use them. You can foster up some interesting story behind them for folks to hear.

 

[TobiWallis]

Goodness me, they're beautiful! I must admit that to me they look a little like the choke of an artichoke, when is been prepared and the leaves removed.on the other hand, I suspect Esther Knapicius may be right - antique dealers are often quite fanciful in their descriptions!

 

[amelia88]

Oh gosh, I'm not much help there but they are lovely and ornate! What a neat find!

Hopefully one of the other members here might recognize it as something - I'm quite curious now!

 

[Sheal]

They could be flower buds but I think they look like seed pods. Papaver is a similar shape.

 

[Corzhens]

"HE" told you what it was, maybe "HE" is not a gardener, and just wanted to label it something to market it. Me, I 'd be simply thrilled to get a find like that, and call it a mystical flower, as the artist of the door knob takes artistic expression to develop it as he /she chooses. It is a wonderful find. good for you. Hope you can use them. You can foster up some interesting story behind them for folks to hear.

I agree that it is just sales talk. You know salesmen, they would invent stories just to amuse you with their merchandise. Pardon me but since you don't see the doorknob as a guise of a lotus bloom then you should believe in yourself than in what a stranger says. I understand that there are many legends and myths particularly for the Chinese, they have meanings for everything. But again, it is what you see that should prevail.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

So where you going to put them???

 

[mlight]

I got four sets; two will replace bedroom doorknobs, one will be for the door that leads out to the garden, and one will be a rather grand doorknob for a bathroom.
Doing further research, I think they are in fact stylized, but the three main contenders are:
1. Chrysanthemum bud
2. Sunflower bud
3. Dahlia bud

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Sounds wonderful. Love them. enjoy.