Medieval Aquamanilia in The Metropolitan Museum of Art
By STAN PARCHIN
June 23, 2010
|
| North German. Dragon (Wyvern) (ca. 1200). Copper alloy. H. 21.2 cm; W. 11.1 cm; D. 18.2 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. |
|
| German (Lower Saxony, probably Hildesheim). Knight on Horseback (ca. 1250). Copper alloy. H. 37.3 cm; W. 14.3 cm; D. 32.7 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. |
|
| Netherlandish (South Lowlands). Aristotle and Phyllis (late 14th Century). Copper alloy. H. 32.4 cm; W. 17.8 cm; D. 39.3 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. |
Aquamanilia is a composite term derived from the classical Latin aqua (water) and manus (hand). Scholars use this word to identify double-spouted ewers of human and animal form produced during the Middle Ages. The hollow cast metal vessels were used to pour liquids in both religious and secular rituals, perhaps for the cleansing of one's hands. New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art possesses a pre-eminent collection of these magnificent works. Crafted in largely German-speaking regions of Europe, all were thoroughly researched before their 2006 exhibition at the nearby Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture. They've since been re-installed in the Main Building's Gallery for Western European Art from 1050 to 1300 and at The Cloisters Museum and Gardens.
Dragon (Wyvern)
The fanciful Dragon (Wyvern) aquamanile (ca. 1200) stands on its two front feet while its folded wings provide the seated sculpture with added stability. A square hole on the top of the mythical beast's curled tail allows the ewer to be filled with water. The aperture's hinged cover is missing. The hood on a cowled man in the creature's mouth functions as the vessel's spout. Perhaps a monk, it is unclear whether the male figure is being swallowed by the ravenous dragon or escaping its jaws' clutches. The powerful hybrid's body and wings are engraved to imitate feathery scales. Both sides of the fantastic monster's tail are covered in alternating patterned triangles. The wyvern (the most common type of medieval folkloric dragon) shows signs of surface wear. Repairs with copper-alloy patches appear on the vessel’s lower belly and right wing.
Like all aquamanilia, the ewer's exact function and context are unclear in the absence of written sources. However, the imagery of a dragon devouring a cleric suggests that the object may have served as a visual reminder of the world's evils to cloistered monks.
Knight on Horseback
The museum's aquamanile in the form of a Knight on Horseback (ca. 1250) features an upright armored man seated on a massive horse, the animal's body finely decorated with cross-hatched circles. The rider wears a crested helm on his head, a long-sleeved mail shirt, a surcoat and leg padding. His lance and shield are lost, as is the top half of the stallion's right ear. The equestrian vessel is filled through its hinged helm. Liquid leaves the ewer through a spout created by the mounted horse's forelock of hair.
Aristotle and Phyllis
The amusing design of Aristotle and Phyllis (late 14th Century) is a comic inversion of the medieval sexual order. It portrays the aged Greek philosopher and teacher of Alexander the Great being humiliated by the conqueror's beautiful lover. A vernacular tale composed by French poet Henri d'Andeli around 1220 is the sculpture's inspiration. Popular during the Late Middle Ages, the narrative describes how Aristotle, annoyed at the shrewish Phyllis for distracting the young Alexander from his studies, attempts to separate the pair. The scheming female promises the old man her affections if he carries her on his back around a garden. Embarrassed by Alexander's witnessing of the event, the cuckolded Aristotle advises his pupil that if a man of his wisdom can be deceived by a woman, a less experienced one should be all the more cautious. The couple reunites and Aristotle resumes his duties.
In the humorous and sexually provocative aquamanile, the disgraced Aristotle's head is turned to the left, presumably to meet Alexander's gaze from a window. The bearded philosopher is attired in a form-fitting jacket. Buttons rise from the outfit's neckline to its waist and from its belt. He wears tight hose and long-toed shoes. Phyllis' plaited hair runs vertically over her ample dress, her apparel cut with a revealing low neckline. Geometric tippets descend from her costume's elbows. Phyllis balances herself on the subjugated Aristotle's back by pulling his hair with her right hand while placing her left one on his buttocks. Water enters the ewer through a square hole in the seductive maiden's head; it exits from a tap below the teacher's right shoulder.
Sources
Barnet, Peter and Pete Dandridge (eds.), et al. Lions, Dragons, and Other Beasts: Aquamanilia in the Middle Ages, Vessels for Church and Table (exh. cat.). New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2006, 2-56, 88-91, 106-109, 136-141.
Bartlett, Robert, et al. Medieval Panorama. Los Angeles: The J. Paul Getty Museum, 2001, 166-167.
Williamson, Paul and Peta Motture. Medieval and Renaissance Treasures from the V&A (exh. cat.). V&A Publications, 2007, 22-23.