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Aquamanile in the Form of a Lion

ca. 1400
On view at The Met Cloisters in Gallery 10
This elaborate water vessel was intended for handwashing. A specialty of metalworkers in German-speaking lands for centuries—from the twelfth to the fifteenth—they are called aquamanilia, from the Latin words for water (aqua) and hand (manus).

Broad-chested, mane protruding, and mouth open, the lion is unabashedly proud and alert. To create this exceptional king of the beasts, the artist first made a rough clay model and then molded wax around it. Next he coated the wax with a mixture of brick, clay, and ashes before melting the wax to form a space that could be filled with molten metal.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Aquamanile in the Form of a Lion
  • Date: ca. 1400
  • Geography: Made in Nuremberg
  • Culture: German
  • Medium: Copper alloy
  • Dimensions: 12 9/16 x 4 5/8 x 12 1/2 in., 11.76lb. (31.9 x 11.8 x 31.8 cm, 5336g)
    Thickness: 1/16-1/8 in. (0.16-0.35 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork-Copper alloy
  • Credit Line: The Cloisters Collection, 1994
  • Object Number: 1994.244
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

More Artwork

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Aquamanile in the Form of a Unicorn, Copper alloy, German
Aquamanile in the Form of a Unicorn
German
ca. 1425–50
Ewer with Wildman Finial, Silver gilt, enamel, and paint, German
Ewer with Wildman Finial
German
late 15th century
The Virgin Mary and Five Standing Saints above Predella Panels, Pot-metal glass, white glass, vitreous paint, silver stain, German
The Virgin Mary and Five Standing Saints above Predella Panels
German
1440–46
Aquamanile in the Form of a Soldier on Horseback, Copper alloy, German
Aquamanile in the Form of a Soldier on Horseback
German
early 15th century
Covered Beaker, Sebastian Lindenast the Elder German, Copper gilt, German
Covered Beaker
Sebastian Lindenast the Elder
ca. 1490–1500

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