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Lion Aquamanile

ca. 1220–30
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Aquamanilia, from the Latin aqua (water) and manus (hand), are vessels for washing hands, for both liturgical and secular purposes. They were the first hollow-cast vessels in copper alloy made in medieval Europe. This example in the form of a lion is a carefully observed naturalistic sculpture in the round. It bears comparison with the baptismal font (exhibited in the Medieval Sculpture Hall, Gallery 305), suggesting that they were made at approximately the same date, possibly by the same workshop.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Lion Aquamanile
  • Date: ca. 1220–30
  • Culture: German (Hildesheim)
  • Medium: Copper alloy
  • Dimensions: Overall: 10 5/8 x 11 in. (27 x 28 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork-Copper alloy
  • Credit Line: Dom-Museum HIldesheim, join ownership with the Stiftung Niedersachsen and the Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung (2006–1)
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters