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Custom wood doors from Scottsdale Art Factory are a treaure for several lifetimes...
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ArtFactory Special Products H. J. Nick is an Award Winning
Internationally Accredited Artist!

"There was a time when master craftsmen signed their work with pride
knowing each furnishing would become a cherished heirloom and antique.
Scottsdale Art Factory carries on this tradition!"
Scottsdale Art Factory Is The Largest Custom Manufacturer Of Fine
Artistic Furniture, Doors, Gates, Lighting and Hardware.
Handmade In America Since 1913

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2000 Yr Old Doors - From The Historical Record - CH1374

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Historical Origin And Design Inspiration

This Door Is Over 2000 Years Old

Restored By This Museum These Hand Carved And Gilded Doors And Solid Marble Columns Is A Great Example Of How Important A Entrance Door Can Be

And As Far Back As The Beginning Of Time Scholars Have Been Aware That The Entrance Sets The Tone And Perception Of The Occupants. And The Entrance Is The Best Investment In Making The First Impression.

Hand Carved ( not CNC carved) - Hand Etched Glass - Entrance Door - 4" thick Solid Exotic Timber - Full Structural Jamb - Solid Hand Forged Wrought Iron - (No castings or hollow metals) - Hand Patina Finished - (No powder coating or faux paint finishes) - Tempered Thermal Glass - Hand hewn, Tenon Joined Solid Full Length Timber (No fake laminates, scarf joints or glued up parts) - Virtually Maintenance Free - Guaranteed Forever - Backed By Our Over Nine Decades Of Fine Craftsmanship Since 1913

We Build Doors In All Species Of Timber - Any Size - Exterior or Interior


You Never Get A Second Chance To Make A First Impression


We Build Doors Any Size - Exterior or Interior


We Build Commercial And Residential Doors & Gates - All Styles And Sizes


Choose From Our Designs Or Use Your Design And

We Will Build To Our Hand Made Standards

All Scottsdale Art Factory Doors Are Designed In America and Built In America Using Solid Natural Air Dried Timber And Hand Forged Steel By The Hands Of True American Master Craftsmen.



As Seen On National TV (30 sec)



All products are made under the supervision of world renowned artist H. J. Nick using only the finest materials.
We never use engineered cores or faux materials such as paste boards, veneers, masonite, MDO plywood, melamine or oriented strand board panels with expensive wood sounding names such as walnut or hickory veneer etc.
More Info On Our Solid Timber Choices: Important details about our timber and craftsmanship.

Solid Wood, "This Is The Real McCoy."



Master Crafted In America Since 1913. Our prices are usually lower than lesser quality name brand mass production imports, this is because "We Are The Factory," so don't be fooled by our upscale appearance.

Purchase American Made - Invest In "Your" Future.

Historical Facts About Doors

The earliest records are those represented in the paintings of the Egyptian tombs, in which they are shown as single or double doors, each in a single piece of wood. In Egypt, where the climate is intensely dry, there would be no fear of their warping, but in other countries it would be necessary to frame them, which according to Vitruvius (iv. 6.) was done with stiles (sea/si) and rails (see: Frame and panel): the spaces enclosed being filled with panels (tympana) let into grooves made in the stiles and rails. The stiles were the vertical boards, one of which, tenoned or hinged, is known as the hanging stile, the other as the middle or meeting stile. The horizontal cross pieces are the top rail, bottom rail, and middle or intermediate rails. The most ancient doors were in timber, those made for King Solomon's temple being in olive wood (I Kings vi. 31-35), which were carved and overlaid with gold. The doors dwelt upon in Homer would appear to have been cased in silver or brass. Besides Olive wood, elm, cedar, oak and cypress were used.


All ancient doors were hung by pivots at the top and bottom of the hanging stile which worked in sockets in the lintel and sill, the latter being always in some hard stone such as basalt or granite. Those found at Nippur by Dr. Hilprecht, dating from 2000 B.C. were in dolerite. The tenons of the gates at Balawat were sheathed with bronze (now in the British Museum). These doors or gates were hung in two leaves, each about 8 ft 4 in (2.5 m) wide and 27 ft (8.2 m). high; they were encased with bronze bands or strips, 10 in. high, covered with repouss decoration of figures, etc.

The wood doors would seem to have been about 3 in. thick, but the hanging stile was over 14 inches (360 mm) diameter. Other sheathings of various sizes in bronze have been found, which proves this to have been the universal method adopted to protect the wood pivots. In the Hauran in Syria, where timber is scarce the doors were made in stone, and one measuring 5 ft 4 in (1.6 m) by 2 ft 7 in (0.79 m) is in the British Museum; the band on the meeting stile shows that it was one of the leaves of a double door. At Kuffeir near Bostra in Syria, Burckhardt found stone doors, 9 to 10 ft (3.0 m). high, being the entrance doors of the town. In Etruria many stone doors are referred to by Dennis.


The ancient Greek and Roman doors were either single doors, double doors, sliding doors or folding doors, in the last case the leaves were hinged and folded back. In Eumachia, is a painting of a door with three leaves. In the tomb of Theron at Agrigentum there is a single four-panel door carved in stone. In the Blundell collection is a bas-relief of a temple with double doors, each leaf with five panels. Among existing examples, the bronze doors in the church of SS. Cosmas and Damiano, in Rome, are important examples of Roman metal work of the best period; they are in two leaves, each with two panels, and are framed in bronze. Those of the Pantheon are similar in design, with narrow horizontal panels in addition, at the top, bottom and middle. Two other bronze doors of the Roman period are in the Lateran Basilica.


Heron of Alexandria created the earliest known automatic door in the 1st century AD during the era of Roman Egypt. The first foot-sensor-activated automatic door was made in China during the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui (r. 604"618), who had one installed for his royal library. The first automatic gate operators were later created in 1206 by the Arabic inventor, Al-Jazari. The doors of the church of the Nativity at Bethlehem (6th century) are covered with plates of bronze, cut out in patterns: those of Hagia Sophia at Constantinople, of the 8th and 9th century, are wrought in bronze, and the west doors of the cathedral of Aix-la-Chapelle (9th century), of similar manufacture, were probably brought from Constantinople, as also some of those in St. Marks, Venice.


In the 11th and 12th centuries there are numerous examples of bronze doors, the earliest being one at Hildesheim, Germany (1015). Of others in South Italy and Sicily, the following are the finest: in Sant Andrea, Amalfi (1060); Salerno (1099); Canosa (1111); Troia, two doors (1119 and 1124); Ravello (1179), by Barisano of Trani, who also made doors for Trani cathedral; and in Monreale and Pisa cathedrals, by Bonano of Pisa. In all these cases the hanging stile had pivots at the top and bottom.


The exact period when the hinge was substituted is not quite known, but the change apparently brought about another method of strengthening and decorating doors, viz, with wrought-iron bands of infinite varieties of design. As a rule three bands from which the ornamental work springs constitute the hinges, which have rings outside the hanging stiles fitting on to vertical tenons run into the masonry or wooden frame. There is an early example of the 12th century in Lincoln; in France the metal work of the doors of Notre Dame at Paris is perhaps the most beautiful in execution, but examples are endless throughout France and England.


Returning to Italy, the most celebrated doors are those of the Battistero di San Giovanni (Florence), which together with the door frames are all in bronze, the borders of the latter being perhaps the most remarkable: the modeling of the figures, birds and foliage of the south doorway, by Andrea Pisano (1330), and of the east doorway by Ghiberti (1425-1452), are of great beauty; in the north door (1402-1424) Ghiberti adopted the same scheme of design for the paneling and figure subjects in them as Andrea Pisano, but in the east door the rectangular panels are all filled, with bas-reliefs, in which Scripture subjects are illustrated with innumerable figures, these being probably the gates of Paradise of which Michelangelo speaks.


The doors of the mosques in Cairo were of two kinds; those which, externally, were cased with sheets of bronze or iron, cut out in decorative patterns, and incised or inlaid, with bosses in relief; and those in wood, which were framed with interlaced designs of the square and diamond, this latter description of work being Coptic in its origin. The doors of the palace at Palermo, which were made by Saracenic workmen for the Normans, are fine examples and in good preservation. A somewhat similar decorative class of door to these latter is found in Verona, where the edges of the stiles and rails are beveled and notched.


In the Renaissance period the Italian doors are quite simple, their architects trusting more to the doorways for effect; but in France and Germany the contrary is the case, the doors being elaborately carved, especially in the Louis XIV and Louis XV periods, and sometimes with architectural features such as columns and entablatures with pediment and niches, the doorway being in plain masonry. While in Italy the tendency was to give scale by increasing the number of panels, in France the contrary seems to have been the rule; and one of the great doors at Fontainebleau, which is in two leaves, is entirely carried out as if consisting of one great panel only.


The earliest Renaissance doors in France are those of the cathedral of St. Sauveur at Aix (1503). In the lower panels there are figures 3 ft (0.91 m). high in Gothic niches, and in the upper panels a double range of niches with figures about 2 ft (0.61 m). high with canopies over them, all carved in cedar. The south door of Beauvais Cathedral is in some respects the finest in France; the upper panels are carved in high relief with figure subjects and canopies over them. The doors of the church at Gisors (1575) are carved with figures in niches subdivided by classic pilasters superimposed. In St. Maclou at Rouen are three magnificently carved doors; those by Jean Goujon have figures in niches on each side, and others in a group of great beauty in the center. The other doors, probably about forty to fifty years later, are enriched with bas-reliefs, landscapes, figures and elaborate interlaced borders.


The oldest door in England can be found in Westminster Abbey and dates from 1050. In England in the 17th century the door panels were raised with bolection or projecting moldings, sometimes richly carved, round them; in the 18th century the moldings worked on the stiles and rails were carved with the egg and tongue ornament.


You May Order: This Door Design In Any Size And Material - Made In The Same Hand By Our American Master Craftsman, As It Was Hand Crafted In It's Era.

Scottsdale Art Factory carries on the American Arts And Crafts Movement of the 21st century, in the same way William Morris and John Ruskin (founders of the Arts and Crafts furniture movement in circa 1800 England) inspired Gustave Stickley (founder of the American Arts and Crafts movement) in America circa 1900. Frank Loyd Wright, Charles and Henry Greene (inspired architects of the ultimate cottages such as the Gamble House in Pasadena California) are credited with raising quality standard to its highest level in their day. All of these great master craftsman also inspired the Marabella Brothers in the early 20th Century (founders of SAF circa 1913).




Every creative enterprise is always built on a foundation that was laid down by its predecessors. Creative people are also dependent on the groundwork laid down by those who came before them. H. J. Nick, artist and direct descendant of the Marbella brothers, and Scottsdale Art Factory have built on these foundations and have raised the bar of quality even higher. Thus setting a new standard and offering the finest one of a kind handmade furnishings found anywhere in the world in the 21st century.


We Build Commercial And Residential Doors - All Styles And Sizes


Choose From Our Designs Or Use Your Design And

We Will Build To Our Hand Made Standards

All Scottsdale Art Factory Doors Are Designed In America and Built In America Using Solid Natural Air Dried Timber And Hand Forged Steel And The Finest Fabrics And Leathers, By The Hands Of True American Master Craftsmen.





All products are made under the supervision of world renowned artist H. J. Nick using only the finest materials.
We never use engineered cores or faux materials such as paste boards, veneers, masonite, MDO plywood, melamine or oriented strand board panels with expensive wood sounding names such as walnut or hickory veneer etc. We also use only the finest fabrics and leathers.
More Info On Our Solid Timber Choices: Important details about our timber and craftsmanship.

Solid Wood, "This Is The Real McCoy."



Master Crafted In America Since 1913. Our prices are usually lower than lesser quality name brand mass production imports, this is because "We Are The Factory," so don't be fooled by our upscale appearance.

Purchase American Made - Invest In "Your" Future.

Investment Quality, Equals Appreciable Asset Furniture , Destined For Antiquity.
We build only proud to own family heirloom furnishing, rich with family history and priceless heritage. This process begins with you and your family personalizing each piece with your own special design requests. H. J. Nick supervises the details and drafting process with his design team, and upon your approval, we then build your product. Once you receive your item, you can enjoy it secure in the knowledge it will increase in value and become a cherished family heirloom that is guaranteed to stand the test of time.


There Is Never A Charge For Re-design

Every Door You Order Includes Your Choice Of Hand Rubbed Fine Furniture Finishes & Textures

Hand Rubbed Furniture Finish Details As Shown: Mahogany Oil Stain Beech Wood. Our finish process includes five to ten coats of hand rubbed furniture quality clear oils or water based non-toxic lacquers. It is applied, cured, rubbed and re-applied depending upon whether your order is Limited Edition or old growth Original works. Every surface of this product is fine finished including the under sides and hidden areas. These doors are built to investment family heirloom quality and are finished to be virtually maintenance free and will stand the test of time. You may choose the natural color or from over 400 standard stain colors, or computer color match to any stain color from a sample you provide. Most of our finishes are water based and earth friendly. You may order any single color or texture finish at no extra charge. Fine Finish Information: Important details about our finish process: patinas, sealants and wood finishes.


Hand Carving Is Available To Your Design Choice
Hand Carving Information: Important details about the kind of carving you can expect when you order from Scottsdale Art Factory.

Colorized Carving: You can order any carving colorized. In order to achieve a colorized carving, multiple stain colors are used. The stains are hand applied and blended with an artistic eye to achieve an enhanced natural appearance.


All Steel Is Coal Fired, Hammered By Master Blacksmiths The Old Fashioned Way And Patina Finished. At Scottsdale Art Factory, we take pride in our traditional, superior quality workmanship and craft our products from only the finest steel. Our master blacksmiths have been classically trained, and utilize old world techniques such as coal firing, anvil hammering and hand forging to create the finest handcrafted hardware available anywhere. All of our steel work is hand patina finished by heat applying iron oxides to achieve a natural patina finish that will stand the test of time.


Nothing is Drop Forged. We create works The Old Fashioned Way using solid hand forged steel, (drop forging is a poor quality, casted copy of a hand forged work of art). Nothing is wrought iron; wrought iron is simply a softer and less sturdy form of metal that cannot compare to stronger hand forged low carbon steel.


Master Blacksmithing: The kind of hand forged metal work you can expect when you order from Scottsdale Art Factory.


All Our Hand Forged Steel Is Hand Patina Finished To Stand The Test Of Time

Patina Finish As Shown: Various Colors Of Hand Applyed Iron Oxide Patinas. All steel parts are hand patina finished the old fashioned way by iron oxide hand applied with high temperature heat. We never powder coat or faux paint our steel, it has been our experience that paint and powder coating methods do not hold up over time. You may choose from many natural iron oxide colors, and all our patina finishes are water based and earth friendly. You may order any single color or texture finish at no extra charge. Every surface of this hardware is finely finished including the under sides and hidden areas. Each item is finished to be virtually maintenance free and to age with grace to stand the test of time.
Fine Finish Information: Important details about patina finishes.

Order As Limited Edition or Original Works



Our Guarantee: We Guarantee Each Item "Forever" " No Questions Asked, backed by over nine decades of fine craftsmanship.


Our Price Guarantee: Why you may purchase hand made custom at production prices.


Our Heritage: Marabella brothers come to America.


See Our Blog More about the history of Scottsdale Art Factory and the American furniture movement of the 21st century.








Product 20/31

Master Carved Doors -Designs From The Historical Record 1922CDJPrevious
Return to the Product List
NextDouble Doors - Designs From The Historical Record - 1328CDJ
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We always build using only the finest quality materials and craftsmanship from doors to gates to dining tables, all the way down to the hardware! Nothing misses our attention to detail!