Wow!!

I love this door. I LOVE this door...and not just because it is big and complicated. In my opinion, this is a fabulous door because ALL the elements work together. First, there is the lady high above, who holds the children under her arms and looks out over the land in such a way that you feel that she is there for you - for everyone. There is the coat of arms style presentation of a honeybee in the pediment - symbolically, honeybees have an extremely rich cross-cultural importance including, but not limited to, their representation of eloquence, poetry and intelligence. Another highly symbolic element is also present - cornucopia overflowing with fruit - which, over time, has come to mean liberty, gratitude and good fortune. The puti, or angels floating gracefully above the door are also very symbolic elements - they function as, among other things, messengers, guardians, conductors of the stars and upholders of laws. The symbolism surrounding this door does not stop there... even the columns have a strong symbolic value - including their physical and/or visual assurance of the strength of a structure either in the physical sense or in the social or personal sense.

Now, onto the non-symbolic elements of this door...isn't the wrought-iron work fabulous? It is so incredibly intricate that it takes my breath away! And look closely at the door, whose colour is like chestnut-flower honey (ah! honeybees!!), the handles are simple but inviting and the metal plates that act as kick plates across the bottom of the door are not just simple strips of copper, but are cut out in an interesting pattern.

I love this door!!