Aquamanile, 13th century

Bronze

(H x W)22,5 x 25 cm

Place of originWestfalen

Status

not on display

About the workAs a vessel for ritual hand washing during worship, the aquamanile was a liturgical object. However, it was also used in everyday life – for washing after meals, for example. The vessels originated in the Middle East, where they also served as water dispensers for cleansing. By the early Middle Ages, they had reached the West via Byzantium, now Istanbul. Many of these vessels were in the shape of animals, often lions, which were believed to ward off evil.

AccessionAcquired 1927 from the Kunstgewerbemuseum

Provenance[...]; o.D. Inventar aus einer Kirche in Effeln in Westfalen; ? - 18.1.1910 G. Wittkopp, Lippstadt; 18.1.1910 - 1927 ehem. Kunstgewerbemuseum Düsseldorf (1883-1927) erworben von Wittkopp; 1927 übernommen aus dem Kunstgewerbemuseum

Inventory numberP 18587

Christianity
Middle Ages

Contact

sammlung@kunstpalast.de

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https://sammlung.kunstpalast.de/en/objects/304003/aquamanile

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