Aquamanile in the form of a lion
Artist/Culture
German
Date1200s
Mediumcast and chiselled bronze
Dimensions21.6 × 8.7 × 24.3 cm (8 1/2 × 3 7/16 × 9 9/16 in.)
ClassificationsMetalwork
MarkingsNumber on front left foot: 8909
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Terms
Object number1934.46
DescriptionBoth front feet are restored. There is a crack in the rear left foot. The lid may be a replacement. There is incised decoration around the eyes, mouth, ears, bib, legs, handle, and tail. There is a dent in the front left shoulder and another in the rear right thigh. These might suggest that this is a secular rather than religious object, with a correspondingly more demanding working life. There are rectangular plugs along the flanks and up the side of the neck, four on each side; these could be artifacts of the casting process or may be the visible portions of internal struts.Label TextThis bronze water vessel was used for religious ceremonies. Its lion shape symbolizes the Christian virtues of faith, courage, and kingship, all of which derive from the lion's various roles in Old Testament stories. Animals and their associations with specific virtues or vices were systematically recorded as early as 600 A.D. by the Spanish archbishop Isadore of Seville.
On View
On view
Southern German
about 1550
