Keep Your Hands Clean with a Medieval Aquamanile

Published on 02 October 2020, by Caroline Legrand

Auction on 11 October 2020 - 14:00 (CEST) - 28, rue Pierre-Mendès-France - 27400 Louviers

An aquamanile (ewer) will be on offer at the next sale in Louviers. This iconic vessel of the medieval period also had symbolic value.

Lower Saxony, late 13th/early 14th century, lost wax brass aquamanile depicting a... Keep Your Hands Clean with a Medieval Aquamanile

Lower Saxony, late 13^th/early 14^th century, lost wax brass aquamanile depicting a stocky lion standing on short legs, with a handle in the form of a snake 17.5 x 19.5 cm (detail).
Estimate: €20,000/25,000

These days, frequent handwashing is highly recommended. Well, you may not have known that it was already a well-established practice in the Middle Ages. Aquamaniles, which appeared in the East during Antiquity and were very common in Europe between the 12 th and 15 th centuries,…

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