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Lot Essay
THIS SPIRITED HORSE IS A RARE SURVIVAL OF MEDIEVAL GERMAN METALWORK. WHILE THERE ARE MANY MORE EXAMPLES OF HORSES WITH RIDERS, AND OF COURSE OTHER SINGLE FIGURE ANIMALS, MOST COMMONLY LIONS AND MYTHOLOGICAL BEASTS LIKE DRAGONS, EXAMPLES OF HARNESSED, RIDERLESS HORSES ARE RELATIVELY RARE. THERE IS ONE IN THE MAGYAR NEMZETI MúZEUM, BUDAPEST AND THREE IN THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK (SEE P. BARNET AND P. DANDRIDGE, EDS., LIONS, DRAGONS & OTHER BEASTS: AQUAMANILE OF THE MIDDLE AGES, VESSELS FOR CHURCH AND TABLE, NEW YORK, 2006, PP. 26, 146-153. ALL OF THESE ARE ATTRIBUTED TO THE NUREMBERG WORKSHOPS AND DATED TO THE FIRST HALF OF THE 15TH CENTURY.
AQUAMANILE FEATURE TWO OPENINGS, ONE FOR FILLING AND ONE FOR POURING. IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT THE APERTURE ON THE HEAD OF THE PRESENT HORSE IS SQUARE, RATHER THAN THE MORE ROUNDED APERTURES WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN USED FOR POURING. IT LOOKS SIMILAR TO APERTURES WHICH WOULD HAVE CONTAINED A FURTHER ELEMENT, SUCH A UNICORN HORN. THIS PARTICULAR HORSE BEARS SOME RESEMBLANCE TO THE EXTREMELY RARE UNICORN AQUAMANILE (SEE BARNET AND DANDRIDGE, OP.CIT., PP. 158-161). BUT IF THE APERTURE ON THE HEAD WAS INTENDED FOR A FURTHER ELEMENT, THEN THIS WOULD HAVE LEFT THE PRESENT HORSE WITHOUT A SECOND OPENING FOR POURING. HOWEVER, THERE IS A FLATTENED AREA ON THE CHEST OF THE PRESENT HORSE -- EXACTLY WHERE A SPIGOT WOULD HAVE BEEN -- AND, WHILE THERE IS NO SIGN OF ONE HAVE BEEN CAST IN, IT IS AN ODD COINCIDENCE. IT IS UNLIKELY, THOUGH, THAT A UNICORN WOULD HAVE BEEN DEPICTED HARNESSED AS IT WAS WELL-KNOWN IN THE MIDDLE AGES THAT ONLY A VIRGIN WAS CAPABLE OF TAMING THE UNICORN. THE EXPLANATION THAT IT IS A RIDERLESS HORSE REMAINS MUCH MORE LIKELY.
AQUAMANILE FEATURE TWO OPENINGS, ONE FOR FILLING AND ONE FOR POURING. IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT THE APERTURE ON THE HEAD OF THE PRESENT HORSE IS SQUARE, RATHER THAN THE MORE ROUNDED APERTURES WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN USED FOR POURING. IT LOOKS SIMILAR TO APERTURES WHICH WOULD HAVE CONTAINED A FURTHER ELEMENT, SUCH A UNICORN HORN. THIS PARTICULAR HORSE BEARS SOME RESEMBLANCE TO THE EXTREMELY RARE UNICORN AQUAMANILE (SEE BARNET AND DANDRIDGE, OP.CIT., PP. 158-161). BUT IF THE APERTURE ON THE HEAD WAS INTENDED FOR A FURTHER ELEMENT, THEN THIS WOULD HAVE LEFT THE PRESENT HORSE WITHOUT A SECOND OPENING FOR POURING. HOWEVER, THERE IS A FLATTENED AREA ON THE CHEST OF THE PRESENT HORSE -- EXACTLY WHERE A SPIGOT WOULD HAVE BEEN -- AND, WHILE THERE IS NO SIGN OF ONE HAVE BEEN CAST IN, IT IS AN ODD COINCIDENCE. IT IS UNLIKELY, THOUGH, THAT A UNICORN WOULD HAVE BEEN DEPICTED HARNESSED AS IT WAS WELL-KNOWN IN THE MIDDLE AGES THAT ONLY A VIRGIN WAS CAPABLE OF TAMING THE UNICORN. THE EXPLANATION THAT IT IS A RIDERLESS HORSE REMAINS MUCH MORE LIKELY.