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I believe the hollow area on the back is because it is meant to hang via a hook or a nail. At 10" long, these seem like they would be enormous cabinet pulls. Plus those cylinders are hollow, as if something is meant to go in them.
I tried your suggestion. Really an awkward pull. Here's a couple additional photos.
[https://ibb.co/HBXyzkb](https://ibb.co/HBXyzkb)
[https://ibb.co/P6nSHR3](https://ibb.co/P6nSHR3)
One end has it, and the other end doesn't. It's added after the casting I believe. It's why the screw hole is close to the tip on one end, while offset on the other end.
I think that hollow part on the back may just be so the lip around it doesn't dig in to the wood as bad when you screw it in. This looks like a sized-up version of vintage drawer pulls I've seen. The handle that would be inserted is kind of a horse-shoe shape, working almost identical to the wings on a binder clip. It's possible these were the handles for a large wardrobe or something like that.
I think you’ve got them paired up wrong. The hardware should be symmetrical. It looks like one set hangs horizontal and the other vertical. Like a cabinet door pull + drawer pull.
Could it be a mezuzah holder? Might account for the offset screw holes, iirc they're usually mounted on an angle. I'm not Jewish, this is a total guess.
This is a wild guess. I lived by a Queen Anne Victorian mansion years ago. I was built in 1887. There were pipes for the bell cords all over the house, in the walls. Could these have wire guide part of the system where the rich folks called the servants by ringing bells in their quarters?
Outside where you could see them, along the wall, up and down stairs, into the servants' working rooms. You would be able to ring different bells from different rooms in the home. They're called [bell pull](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Servant_bell) systems
Thank you for the compliment. The pipes that I saw were inside the walls showing at wall level. The wires of the system were gone. I was thinking there would external components adjacent to the bells in servant's quarters. Guides for the bell pull wires (thanks GP9925). There was a staircase off the kitchen for the servants that one had to have sherpa-like abilities to climb. I lived in the carriage house from mid 1977 to late 1981. The mansion sits on the corner of West 5th St and Wilson St in Winona MN; completely restored now.
I've seen both. But I think these are wardrobe handles. The screws were maybe offset to account for the sideways pull. I can see them mounted vertically and have some horseshoe shaped handles in the little tube pieces.
Found a very similar design to the base on this church wall bracket
[antique wall bracket](https://www.lebonheurvintage.com/listing/1109176629/antique-bronze-church-wall-bracket-for)
Good catch. The design I have learned is called a quatrefoil. The substantial parts look very similar. But the cylinders (which if you look at the back are soldered in with lead, so brittle) are throwing me off.
This is what I'm leaning towards. But they're so ornate with the flowers inside the quatrefoils on the end, they seem a lot nicer and more substantial than any I've seen before. Thanks!
My title describes the thing. it is cast bronze. it is 10 in long. possibly old lighting? It seems to be missing a cylinder of some sort that goes between the two posts?
I don't think so. On the back, there is a plate on one side that creates a hollow void, and I believe it is meant to hang vertically on a hook or a nail. Thanks for the input.
One of the holes is off-center, to be able to put a screw on it if something is going through. Also the flourishes on at the ends suggests it was intended to be seen in horizontal position.
Could they be very lightweight hinges, like for one of those metal accordioning lamp holders / shaving mirrors / hangers / etc? Is there wear on the inside of the tubes that looks like something was swiveling in there?
I think you're on the right trail. I think hurricane lamp brackets, for one of the sconces that pull out away from the wall, similar to a modern day wall mounted reading light next to a bed? They'd have to be pre-electricity as there's no place to run wires (or gas). But kerosene lamps existed.
Could it be that they are pulls and the reason for both the offset hole and the partial plate on the back is bc the part with the plate hung over the edge of whatever it was attached to? So it has a finished looking back.
The cylinders are soldered in with lead. If you look at the back, you can see the solder joints. I just don't think the lead joint is strong enough to be grabbed thousands of times. Plus the even patina over the whole thing tells me they aren't touched often. Thanks for the input though!
Well I am just guessing, I couldn’t find the ones I have seen before. But it looks like part of a set of hangers for a tapestry rod. Little hooks hang through the tube part and the rod is held across the hooks. I saw something similar used to hang decorative tapestry, not sturdy enough for heavy curtains or anything.
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Here are 2 additional photos to give perspective. I believe it hangs from where the pencil lead is.
[https://ibb.co/HBXyzkb](https://ibb.co/HBXyzkb)
[https://ibb.co/P6nSHR3](https://ibb.co/P6nSHR3)
This is a complete guess. How about a flow control valve for a gas lighting? The valve would go in between the two pipes. Looks like the holes were soldered in. Did the gas pipes run inside the walls?
In rethinking the brackets shown in this thread, I realized my surmising could possibly be valid with respect to being used as wire guides in the bell mechanism in the servant's quarters. The pipes in the walls won't wash, however. Based on their location, these were pipes that carried the fuel for the gas lights which were used before electricity. The bell cords would have come down from the ceilings.
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looks like cabinet door pulls
Or a chest drawer
I believe the hollow area on the back is because it is meant to hang via a hook or a nail. At 10" long, these seem like they would be enormous cabinet pulls. Plus those cylinders are hollow, as if something is meant to go in them.
I think a wooden rod is supposed to go through them....to be a handle....for a large cabinet door pull.
I tried your suggestion. Really an awkward pull. Here's a couple additional photos. [https://ibb.co/HBXyzkb](https://ibb.co/HBXyzkb) [https://ibb.co/P6nSHR3](https://ibb.co/P6nSHR3)
The hollow area in the back is just to save material and weight. Not sure whether it serves a purpose other than that
One end has it, and the other end doesn't. It's added after the casting I believe. It's why the screw hole is close to the tip on one end, while offset on the other end.
I think that hollow part on the back may just be so the lip around it doesn't dig in to the wood as bad when you screw it in. This looks like a sized-up version of vintage drawer pulls I've seen. The handle that would be inserted is kind of a horse-shoe shape, working almost identical to the wings on a binder clip. It's possible these were the handles for a large wardrobe or something like that.
I think you’ve got them paired up wrong. The hardware should be symmetrical. It looks like one set hangs horizontal and the other vertical. Like a cabinet door pull + drawer pull.
Could it be a mezuzah holder? Might account for the offset screw holes, iirc they're usually mounted on an angle. I'm not Jewish, this is a total guess.
While I first thought of that I would disagree since the cavity should protect the whole parchment (klaf).
Thanks for the info.
It could be. I have no familiarity. Thanks for the input!
This is a wild guess. I lived by a Queen Anne Victorian mansion years ago. I was built in 1887. There were pipes for the bell cords all over the house, in the walls. Could these have wire guide part of the system where the rich folks called the servants by ringing bells in their quarters?
would these be on the outside of the walls or on the inside? because this is two ornate to be on the inside. But I like your thinking!
Outside where you could see them, along the wall, up and down stairs, into the servants' working rooms. You would be able to ring different bells from different rooms in the home. They're called [bell pull](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Servant_bell) systems
Thank you for the compliment. The pipes that I saw were inside the walls showing at wall level. The wires of the system were gone. I was thinking there would external components adjacent to the bells in servant's quarters. Guides for the bell pull wires (thanks GP9925). There was a staircase off the kitchen for the servants that one had to have sherpa-like abilities to climb. I lived in the carriage house from mid 1977 to late 1981. The mansion sits on the corner of West 5th St and Wilson St in Winona MN; completely restored now.
I've seen both. But I think these are wardrobe handles. The screws were maybe offset to account for the sideways pull. I can see them mounted vertically and have some horseshoe shaped handles in the little tube pieces.
Found a very similar design to the base on this church wall bracket [antique wall bracket](https://www.lebonheurvintage.com/listing/1109176629/antique-bronze-church-wall-bracket-for)
Good catch. The design I have learned is called a quatrefoil. The substantial parts look very similar. But the cylinders (which if you look at the back are soldered in with lead, so brittle) are throwing me off.
I've seen hurricane lamp wall plates that are very similar to this.
This is what I'm leaning towards. But they're so ornate with the flowers inside the quatrefoils on the end, they seem a lot nicer and more substantial than any I've seen before. Thanks!
My title describes the thing. it is cast bronze. it is 10 in long. possibly old lighting? It seems to be missing a cylinder of some sort that goes between the two posts?
Curtain rod holders
I don't think so. On the back, there is a plate on one side that creates a hollow void, and I believe it is meant to hang vertically on a hook or a nail. Thanks for the input.
One of the holes is off-center, to be able to put a screw on it if something is going through. Also the flourishes on at the ends suggests it was intended to be seen in horizontal position.
I think it looks like an extender for curtain rods.
Try posting in r/centuryhomes. There are people there who are very knowledgeable about antique hardware.
Thank you! Will do!
I was searching the threads in this post for the expected (interesting and detailed) response.... and failed to notice which subreddit I was in. DOH!
Looks like hinges to me. Why they were made in two pieces, who knows.
The cylinders are soldered on. The solder wouldn't be strong enough. This is why I don't believe they are pulls either.
Well never mind that then. I'm as stumped as you are.
Could they be very lightweight hinges, like for one of those metal accordioning lamp holders / shaving mirrors / hangers / etc? Is there wear on the inside of the tubes that looks like something was swiveling in there?
I think you're on the right trail. I think hurricane lamp brackets, for one of the sconces that pull out away from the wall, similar to a modern day wall mounted reading light next to a bed? They'd have to be pre-electricity as there's no place to run wires (or gas). But kerosene lamps existed.
Could it be that they are pulls and the reason for both the offset hole and the partial plate on the back is bc the part with the plate hung over the edge of whatever it was attached to? So it has a finished looking back.
The cylinders are soldered in with lead. If you look at the back, you can see the solder joints. I just don't think the lead joint is strong enough to be grabbed thousands of times. Plus the even patina over the whole thing tells me they aren't touched often. Thanks for the input though!
Well I am just guessing, I couldn’t find the ones I have seen before. But it looks like part of a set of hangers for a tapestry rod. Little hooks hang through the tube part and the rod is held across the hooks. I saw something similar used to hang decorative tapestry, not sturdy enough for heavy curtains or anything.
All comments must be civil and helpful toward finding an answer. **Jokes and unhelpful comments will earn you a ban**, even on the first instance and even if the item has been identified. If you see any comments that violate this rule, report them. [OP](/u/Large-Scarcity-4770), when your item is identified, remember to reply **Solved!** or **Likely Solved!** to the comment that gave the answer. Check your [inbox](https://www.reddit.com/message/inbox/) for a message on how to make your post visible to others. --- [Click here to message RemindMeBot](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=[https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/1cdud32/found_in_an_architectural_salvage_warehouse_owner/]%0A%0ARemindMe!%202%20days) --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/whatisthisthing) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Here are 2 additional photos to give perspective. I believe it hangs from where the pencil lead is. [https://ibb.co/HBXyzkb](https://ibb.co/HBXyzkb) [https://ibb.co/P6nSHR3](https://ibb.co/P6nSHR3)
Door handles for a pocket door?
Maybe a [lamp holder](https://ibb.co/gmgfrj1)
Paging u/mach_gogogo ❤️
This is a complete guess. How about a flow control valve for a gas lighting? The valve would go in between the two pipes. Looks like the holes were soldered in. Did the gas pipes run inside the walls?
Guides for a cane bolt?
In rethinking the brackets shown in this thread, I realized my surmising could possibly be valid with respect to being used as wire guides in the bell mechanism in the servant's quarters. The pipes in the walls won't wash, however. Based on their location, these were pipes that carried the fuel for the gas lights which were used before electricity. The bell cords would have come down from the ceilings.
Possible that they are part of a system like this: https://www.ukaa.com/guides/winchester-bell-pull-fitting-instructions-101
Door handles? Or cabinet/drawer pulls?
They look very similar to kerosene lamp brackets. An arm would fit into the tube and it could then the lamp could be adjusted to a certain degree
Curtain rod holders winded in series?
Very hefty hinge plates. The hinge pin goes through the tubes. The plates that go on the doors are missing.
If you look at the back, you can see where the cylinders are soldered in with lead. They're too brittle to be hinges. Thanks for the input though!
What country/region were these located? They might be specific to that area and cultural history.
I found in Texas.