Retro brass door handle Antoinette/P90 - MADE IN FRANCE

The Antoinette, the fluted pear

It takes the pear shape and adds texture: regular flutes run the full length of the body. Light catches the grooves and brings out the relief — it is the most decorative lever on this page, and the longest at 120 mm.

It is fitted to the P90 peaked-top backplate, 250 × 40 mm, whose bevelled profile and small crown echo the Art Deco design of the lever.

Choosing the backplate drilling

This is the only decision to make before ordering, and it depends on the lock already fitted to your door. Look at what sits beneath the current handle:

• No keyhole — the backplate is plain. For a door that does not lock: cupboard, child's bedroom, communicating door.
• L-key — the classic keyhole-shaped drilling, for a traditional bit key. This is the drilling found on older French interior doors.
• Euro cylinder — a round hole for a cylinder barrel. Found on more recent locks.
• Privacy turn — the small button turned from the inside, with an emergency release on the outside. This is the drilling used for bathrooms and WCs.

Not sure? Send us a photo of your door with the handle in place: we'll tell you which spindle size to order.

Specifications

• Lever model: Antoinette, Art Deco fluted pear
• Lever length: 120 mm
• Backplate: P90 peaked-top, 250 × 40 mm, exposed screws
• Material: solid brass
• Backplate drilling: no keyhole, L-key, euro cylinder or privacy turn
• Spindle supplied: 7 mm
• Return spring: none — compatible with lift-to-lock latches
• Contents: one pair of handles on backplate, one 7 mm spindle, fixings
• Origin: France, Vimeu (Picardy)
• Warranty: 2 years

Finishes

From bright gold to anthracite, through bronze, copper, chrome and various nickels. The chosen finish is applied to both the lever and the backplate: the set arrives matched, from the same bath.

The spindle

The spindle is the metal rod that passes through the lock and transmits the movement of the lever. Its cross-section varies by country and by lock type.

• 7 mm — supplied as standard. This is the French standard for mortice locks, also known as sash locks.
• 6 mm — the standard for rim locks. If your lock case is screwed onto the face of the door, this is almost certainly the one you need. Let us know when ordering: we'll swap in the 6 mm at no extra charge.
• 8 mm — Switzerland, Belgium and the rest of the European Union. Let us know when ordering. We also check your delivery address: if it is outside France, we adjust without you having to think about it.

Fitting

Each lever is fitted to its backplate; both backplates are screwed to either side of the door, and the spindle passes through the lock case to connect them. No new drilling is required if the previous handle was also on a backplate: the long plate covers any marks left by the earlier fitting.

These levers have no return spring: the lock itself returns the lever to the horizontal. They are therefore suitable as standard for lift-to-lock latches, the type you lift to lock. Fixings and Allen key are included.

Solid brass, cast in Picardy

Gravity cast in a sand mould, machined, silver-brazed rather than glued, then hand-polished in the Vimeu, the historic heartland of French hardware manufacturing. The brass is solid: the weight is felt from the first touch, and that is what sets a cast piece apart from a lightweight alloy shell.

Some finishes are prepared to order: allow extra lead time if yours is not currently in the workshop.

See also our full range of brass door handles.