July 3 2012

July 3, 2012 is the date of a Sotheby's auction, in London, of sculpture and works of art. Of interest here is a piece made in Lower Saxony, an aquamanile created in the mid 13th century.

An aquamanile is a kind of jug used with a bowl for the washing of hands. It would have been on a royal table or associated with some liturgical ceremony where ritual cleansing was expected. Such pieces began being made in the 12th century. This particular aquamanile, a copper alloy, is particularly rare: it is in the shape of a leopard.

The leopard aquamanile is part of collection which includes many treasures, such as a chess piece, a queen, carved around 1400.

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