ticketsMember | Make a donation

Aquamanile in the Form of Samson andthe Lion

ca. 1380–1400
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 953
The bearded Samson is perched on the lion's back with his knee bent as he grasps the lion's jaws in his hands. He wears a tight, fitted jacket and hose with pointed shoes, the same fashionable costume of the fourteenth century seen on Aristotle in another aquamanile in the Museum's collection. The large lion does not convey the struggle with Samson by the position of its torso or legs, but the beast rotates its head nearly 180 degrees to confront his opponent. Like Samson's hair and beard, the lion's tufted mane is vigorously engraved. Somewhat later than the examples we have seen from the north German groups, this aquamanile is more difficult to localize with any precision.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Aquamanile in the Form of Samson andthe Lion
  • Date: ca. 1380–1400
  • Culture: Northern European (?), possibly German
  • Medium: Bronze; quaternary copper alloy (approx. 78% copper, approx. 10% zinc, approx. 6% tin, approx. 5% lead) with natural patina. Remnants of the iron armature are in the lion’s legs and the figure of Samson.
  • Dimensions: H. 34.1 cm, w. 14 cm, l. 38 cm, wt. 5332 g.
  • Classification: Metalwork
  • Credit Line: Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
  • Object Number: 1975.1.1412
  • Curatorial Department: The Robert Lehman Collection

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Aquamanile in the Form of Aristotle and Phyllis, Bronze; Quaternary copper alloy (approx. 72% copper, approx. 17% zinc,<br/>approx. 6% lead, approx. 3% tin)., South Netherlandish
Aquamanile in the Form of Aristotle and Phyllis
South Netherlandish
late 14th or early 15th century
Aquamanile in the Form of a Knight on Horseback, Bronze; Quaternary copper alloy with a high content of zinc (approx. 73% copper, approx. 15% zinc, approx. 7% lead, approx. 3% tin) with natural patina, hollow cast; remnants of the clay core<br/>and iron armature in the legs, German, Lower Saxony (?)

Aquamanile in the Form of a Knight on Horseback

German, Lower Saxony (?)
ca. 1350
Aquamanile in the Form of a Griffin, Bronze; Ternary copper alloy with a very high content of zinc (approx. 74%<br/>copper, approx. 22% zinc, approx. 2% lead) with natural patina, hollow cast., German, Nuremberg
Aquamanile in the Form of a Griffin
German, Nuremberg
ca. 1425–50
Standing Cup and Cover Supported by an Enchained Turk, Jade (nephrite), aragonite, chalcedony, banded agate, gold, silver gilt, diamonds, rubies, garnets, enamel, and paint., German, perhaps Frankfurt-am-Main
Standing Cup and Cover Supported by an Enchained Turk
German, perhaps Frankfurt-am-Main
ca. 1705–11
Aquamanile in the Form of a Lion, Bronze; binary copper alloy (approx. 88% copper, approx. 8% tin) hollow cast,<br/>chased, engraved, and gilded., North German, Lubeck (?)
Aquamanile in the Form of a Lion
North German, Lubeck (?)
ca. 1230 or early nineteenth century

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.