Horse Aquamanile, CG 073

Hundreds of examples of aquamanila, in pottery and metal, survive from the Medieval period. This example, hollow cast in copper-alloy, takes the form of a horse. Standing tall on all four legs, his neck is stretched and its head is high. An elongated, unwinged, dragon, forms a handle, and holds the short reins, apparently in its mouth. There is hinged lid on the horse’s head and a tap with a spigot plug in the lower chest. The handle and reins were made separately and attached by soldering, likewise the spigot that holds the spout. The Latin term aquamanile is conventionally applied to vessels from which water was poured for hand-washing in both domestic and liturgical contexts. Most aquamanila in copper-alloy were cast using the cire perdue process and European examples date from the twelfth to the fifteenth century. By 1400 Nuremberg was becoming a major centre for artistic production and, in particular metal work.