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Lot Essay
Les aquamaniles possèdent deux ouvertures, une pour remplir et l’autre pour verser. Il est intéressant de noter que l’ouverture sur la tête du cheval est à angle droit, alors que les ouvertures pour verser sont habituellement plus arrondies. Cela ressemble aux ouvertures destinées à accueillir un autre élément, comme une corne de licorne. Et notre cheval présente des ressemblances avec la très rare aquamanile représentant une licorne conservée au musée de Cluny à Paris (Barnet et Dandridge, op.cit., pp. 158-161). Mais si l’ouverture sur la tête devait accueillir une corne, cela laisserait notre cheval sans une seconde ouverture pour verser. Toutefois, la poitrine du cheval présente une surface aplatie qui pourrait correspondre à l'emplacement d'un robinet Il n'y a cependant aucun signe prouvant avec certitude la présence d'un tel robinet. Il est également peu probable qu’une licorne ait été représentée harnachée, car au Moyen-âge on croyait que seule une vierge pouvait les monter. L’explication du cheval sans cavalier reste la plus plausible.
Aquamaniles 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 of the musée de Cluny, Paris (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.
Aquamaniles 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 of the musée de Cluny, Paris (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.