Ave!
Excellent thread indeed!
From my paltry experience, furniture pulls are mostly flat on the reverse.
Example #1 - Copper alloy; 72mm/30.2gm
Example #2 - Copper alloy; 100mm/53.6gm Please note the very obvious phallic end to the dolphin's tail.

One the other hand, like Killian's example, others are 3D, meant to be seen from both sides. Again, most likely they were attached to the top of a cabinet or other small box?
Example #3 - Cast lead over iron; 90mm/38.9gm - Why do the dolphins have scales? Had the smith who forged this artifact actually never seen a dolphin (which do not have scales) or simply with the scaled fish with which he was familiar from the River Drava close to where this artifact was found? Dolphins have been good luck symbols forever and perhaps he added the circle-and-dot pattern was meant to ward off the "Evil Eye" as an added bonus to the piece? Sadly, we will never know.