  About the Artwork
  
  
  This lively Lion Aquamanile standas as a superb example of medieval ewers which were used in banquets, inns, and private homes for handwashing after meals. The Latin origins of the term aquamanile derive from this description of its function: aqua and manus, water and hand. From the twelfth through the sixteenth centuries, Nuremberg, in present-day Germany, served as a hub for producing these vessels thanks to the abundance of raw materials near workshops and the high quality of craftsmanship there. 

This work belongs to a small group of these elegant jugs known as "Flame-Tail Aquamanilia," a name that refers to the long, finely chased tails with flame-like tufts which doubled as handles.
  
  
  Title
  Lion Aquamanile
  
  
  Artwork Date
  ca. 1425-1450
  
  Artist
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  Life Dates
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  Nationality
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events.
  Some definitions include:
  Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation.
  
  
  
  German
  
  
  
  Culture
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group.
  
  
  
  
  German
  
  
  Medium
  Copper alloy
  
  
  Dimensions
  Overall: 11 1/2 × 9 inches (29.2 × 22.9 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Metalwork
  
  
  Department
  European Sculpture and Dec Arts
  
  
  Credit
  Museum Purchase, Robert H. Tannahill Foundation Fund, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Brodie provided funds for the Spigot
  
  
  
  Accession Number
  
  
  
  This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection.
  Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings.
  For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  2008.1
  
  
  Copyright
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