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Aquamanile in the Form of a Lion

ca. 1200
On view at The Met Cloisters in Gallery 01
Derived from the Latin words for water (aqua) and hand (manus), an aquamanile (plural: aquamanilia) is an animal- or human-shaped water vessel used in hand washing, an essential component of religious and secular rituals in the Middle Ages. Aquamanilia were the first cast vessels of medieval Europe. Usually cast in copper alloy through the lostwax process (cire perdue), the hundreds of surviving examples date from the twelfth through fifteenth century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has one of the most important collections of aquamanilia in the world, with examples at The Cloisters and in the main building on Fifth Avenue, in both the medieval galleries and the Lehman Collection.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Aquamanile in the Form of a Lion
  • Date: ca. 1200
  • Culture: North German
  • Medium: Copper alloy with inlaid glass
  • Dimensions: Overall: 8 3/8 x 7 3/16 x 4 3/8 in. (21.2 x 18.2 x 11.1 cm), 6.091lb. (2763g)
    Overall PD: 10 1/2 x 4 9/16 x 10 13/16 in. (26.7 x 11.6 x 27.4 cm)
    Thickness PD: 2/25-3/25 in. (0.20-0.30 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork-Copper alloy
  • Credit Line: The Cloisters Collection, 1947
  • Object Number: 47.101.52
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

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Aquamanile in the Form of a Dragon, Copper alloy, North German
Aquamanile in the Form of a Dragon
North German
ca. 1200
Straw, Silver, partly gilt; niello, jewels, German
Straw
German
ca. 1230–50
Paten, Silver, partly gilt; niello, jewels, German
Paten
German
ca. 1230–50
Aquamanile in the Form of a Mounted Knight, Copper alloy, German
Aquamanile in the Form of a Mounted Knight
German
ca. 1250
Refectory Bell, Copper alloy, German
Refectory Bell
German
13th century

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