RAM AQUAMANILE

Details

GERMAN, CIRCA 1200
RAM AQUAMANILE
Bronze
With hinged lid
6¾ in. (16.9 cm.) high; 6 ¼ in. (16.5 cm.) long

Provenance

Excavated in the 1890s from the alluvial sand of a coal mine near Madgeburg;
Thence by descent, until offered at,
Christie's, London, 7 July 1992, lot 98, The Property of a Lady

Literature

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE:
O. Falke and E. Meyer, Romanische Leuchter und Gefässe, Giessgefässe der Gotik, Berlin, 1935, reprint. 1983, figs. 498 and 501-504.
O. Falke and E. Meyer, Bronzegeräte des Mittelalters, Berlin, 1935, I, fig. 498, pp. 83-84, 116.
M. Brandt ed., Bild & Bestie, Regensburg, 2008, no. 20.

Brought to you by

Donald Johnston

djohnston@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2331

Lot Essay

This aquamanile, excavated near Magdeburg, is perhaps the earliest of the pieces in the present collection. It relates extremely closely to at least two examples, one in the Diocesan Museum in Trier (Falke and Meyer, op. cit., fig. 498) and one in the Stadtmuseum, Hildesheim (Brandt, loc. cit.). The latter, also excavated in the late 19th century, was found with its shallow circular dish, which is a rare survival. Identified by its backward curving horns, the present ram differs from the Hildesheim example only in its longer neck and more upright stance, a slight difference in the position of the handle, and the fact that the present aquamanile includes delicate engraved decoration.

For more general information on aquamaniles, please see the introduction to this section.

Please note that the present lot comes with a Metallography and Analysis report prepared on 2 October 1991 by Dr. Peter Northover.

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