Escutcheon and Ring Handle

This escutcheon, or protective shield, would originally have been attached to the door of a tomb or a palace. The dragon has bulging eyes, furry eyebrows, scaly skin and pointed, wolf-like ears. Below each eye, his claws grasp his upper jaw as if he is fighting with himself, and his bared fangs clench the ring handle. Such dragon escutcheons clearly possessed a powerful apotropaic force, defending the space within from intruders, whether humans or spirits.