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Aquamanile in the Form of Aristotle and Phyllis

late 14th or early 15th century
On view at The Met Cloisters in Gallery 02
An aquamanile is a vessel for pouring water used in the ritual of washing hands in both religious and secular contexts—by the priest before Mass and in a private household before a meal. The subject of this celebrated example is the moralizing legend of Aristotle and Phyllis, which achieved popularity in the late Middle Ages. Aristotle, the Greek philosopher and tutor of Alexander the Great, allowed himself to be humiliated by the seductive Phyllis as a lesson to the young ruler, who had succumbed to her wiles and neglected the affairs of state. Encouraging Alexander to witness his folly, Aristotle explained that if he, an old man, could be so easily deceived, the potential consequences for a young man were even more perilous. The ribald subject indicates that this aquamanile was made for a domestic setting, where it would have doubled as an object of entertainment for guests at the table.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Aquamanile in the Form of Aristotle and Phyllis
  • Date: late 14th or early 15th century
  • Culture: South Netherlandish
  • Medium: Bronze; Quaternary copper alloy (approx. 72% copper, approx. 17% zinc,
    approx. 6% lead, approx. 3% tin).
  • Dimensions: H. 32.5 cm, w. 17.9 cm, l. 39.3 cm, wt. 6062 g.
  • Classification: Metalwork-Bronze
  • Credit Line: Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
  • Object Number: 1975.1.1416
  • Curatorial Department: The Robert Lehman Collection

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Aquamanile in the Form of Samson and the Lion, Bronze; quaternary copper alloy (approx. 78% copper, approx. 10% zinc, approx. 6% tin, approx. 5% lead) with natural patina. Remnants of the iron armature are in the lion’s legs and the figure of Samson., Northern European (?), possibly German

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Aquamanile in the Form of a Griffin, Bronze; Ternary copper alloy with a very high content of zinc (approx. 74%<br/>copper, approx. 22% zinc, approx. 2% lead) with natural patina, hollow cast., German, Nuremberg
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