Aquamanile In Bronze And In The Shape Of A Lion (large Model)

Produced mainly in northern Europe, aquamaniles are used for hand washing, for secular or liturgical purposes. This strange object called aquamanile (from the Latin aqua, “water”, and manus, “hand”) was originally intended for ablutions and was found in sacristies. The priests used it for washing their hands before and after the service. The artists gave this liturgical object chimerical forms which are inspired by the religious symbolic repertoire disseminated by the Catholic Church. The vast majority of aquamaniles are fantastical creations, where imaginary beings wear one or more animal heads – lion, dog, horse – or mermaid heads with bird wings, sometimes mixed with human faces. The leonine (lion) model was particularly popular, because it represents two thirds of production. Hybrid and chimerical beings responded to the fanciful spirit of medieval man. We see them on different types of support: textiles (tapestries, alms), illumination, sculpture and stained glass. On our model, the animal's tail curves to form the handle of the aquamanile. On the top of the head, there is an inlet with a movable lid into which water was poured. Under the chest, the water outlet was fitted with a small tap. (now extinct) Such works come mostly from northern countries and more precisely from Germany, the Meuse region and the Netherlands. The peak of aquamanile production was in the 12th and 13th centuries and ended at the dawn of the 15th century. Although the aquamanile was originally a liturgical object, it was also used in private homes. Bibliography. Von Falke and E. Meyer, Bronzegeräte des Mittelalters. flight. I. Romanische Light und Gefässe Giessgefässe der Gotik, Berlin, 1935, pp. 115, 191, no. 508, fig. 464. 19th century. Very good condition! Sold with certificate