The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 10, 2026

An aged, dark brown copper alloy sculpture is shaped as a stylized horse facing right, with long, thin legs and a stout body. Engraved lines form a harness over its head and chest, which features large, round eyes and a notched mane. A saddle decorated with geometric patterns and a curved handle rests on its back. A small, spouted opening protrudes from the crown of its head between two pointed ears.

Aquamanile: Saddled Horse

c. 1250–1300

North Germany, Lower Saxony , 14th century

(?)
copper alloy
Overall: 23.1 x 22.4 cm (9 1/8 x 8 13/16 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1969.26
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

The pattern of crosshatched circles on the surface suggests that the horse is a dappled gray warhorse, a prized possession in the period.

Description

Aquamanilia, from the Latin aqua meaning water and manus meaning hands, were hollow cast vessels used for hand washing. Although originally intended for liturgical use they became a common sight in the homes of the nobility in the 1200s and 1300s. Often filled with scented water, these vessels were used to wash hands just before and after eating a meal. An accompanying catch basin would have caught the water as it was being poured. Here we see a proud and alert dappled gray warhorse, highly prized in the medieval period. The saddled but riderless form is rare; other popular aquamanilia include lions, dragons, griffins, and human heads.
  • Castiglione, Vienna, purchased by Mrs. C. Porter Wilson
    ?-1968
    Mrs. C. Porter Wilson, New York, NY
    1968
    (Parke-Bernet, 25 October 1968, lot 112a)
    1968-1969
    (Blumka Gallery, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1969-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Parke-Bernet Galleries. Italian Maiolica & Works of Art. New York: The Galleries, 1968. lot 112a
    Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1969.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 57, no. 1 (January 1970): 2–50. Reproduced: p. 10; Mentioned: p. 44, no. 14 www.jstor.org
    Wixom, William D. "A Lion Aquamanile" The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, Vol. 61, No. 8 (October 1974). p. 260-270
    Wixom, William D. Renaissance Bronzes from Ohio Collections: [Exhibition]. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1975. p. 5-6
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 60 archive.org
    Dempsey, James H. “The Annual Report for 1984.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 72, no. 4 (July 1985): 242–298. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 264 www.jstor.org
    Fliegel, Stephen N. “The Cleveland Table Fountain and Gothic Automata.” Cleveland Studies in the History of Art 7 (2002): 6–49. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 26, fig. 23 www.jstor.org
    Fliegel, Stephen N., and Elina Gertsman. Myth and Mystique: Cleveland's Gothic Table Fountain. 2016. p. 136-139
    Mikolic, Amanda. The Art of Handwashing. The Cleveland Museum of Art The Thinker Blog on Medium. April 10, 2020. medium.com
  • Myth and Mystique: Cleveland's Gothic Table Fountain. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 9, 2016-February 26, 2017).
    Year in Review: 1969. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 27-February 22, 1970).
  • {{cite web|title=Aquamanile: Saddled Horse|url=false|author=|year=c. 1250–1300|access-date=10 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1969.26