Butterfly Hinges

This is a drawing of an 18th century American corner cupboard that has a pair of butterfly hinges on the lower door.

This plate is from an article illustrated byDorothy Miller Thompson, that originally appeared in The Magazine Antiques in December 1927 (from Antique Metalware, edited by James Mitchell, Universe Books, introduction ©1977).

Moxon in his Mechanick Exercises has a plate that shows hinges and locks and other specialised kinds of blacksmithing. We have highlighted the butterfly hinge. Moxon called them “duftail” hinges in his section on blacksmithing.

Plate 2 from the smithing section, Mechanick Exercises by Joseph Moxon, third edition published in 1703, this is reproduced from a modern reprint.