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Altar Cruet

mid-14th century
On view at The Met Cloisters in Gallery 14
Altar cruets were used to mix water with wine for Holy Communion and were thus usually made in pairs. Although frequently crafted in silver throughout the Middle Ages, cruets, because they held the water and wine before consecration, were not required to be made of precious metals. For the same reason, the shape and decoration of the cruet were less standardized than those of the chalice and paten. This mid-fourteenth-century example is notable for its strong profile and restrained decoration. The form is characteristic of the silver production of a broad area of central Europe, making it difficult to determine a precise place of manufacture.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Altar Cruet
  • Date: mid-14th century
  • Culture: Central European
  • Medium: Silver and silver gilt
  • Dimensions: Overall: 8 3/4 x 4 1/16 x 3 3/4 in. (22.2 x 10.3 x 9.5 cm)
    vessel part only: 6 5/8 x 4 1/16 x 3 3/4 in. (16.8 x 10.3 x 9.5 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork-Silver
  • Credit Line: The Cloisters Collection, 1986
  • Object Number: 1986.284
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

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