Aquamanilia are hollow-cast vessels created in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Designed to hold liquids used to wash one's hands in religious and household settings, these utilitarian sculptures were anthropomorphic and zoomorphic in shape. Aristotle and Phyllis, a Northern European example, is an entertaining interpretation of an early thirteenth-century tale of morality. The elderly Greek philosopher and teacher of Alexander the Great allowed himself to be ridden by the youth's beautiful and beguiling paramour to teach him a lesson. If a man of Aristotle's age could be distracted by the feminine wiles of Phyllis, the results of such uninhibited behavior by a leader of Alexander's stature could adversely affect his ability to govern. After fresh and thorough research, this somewhat risqué aquamanile joins 29 others owned by The Metropolitan Museum of Art at New York's Bard Graduate Center.
"Lions, Dragons, and Other Beasts: Aquamanilia of the Middle Ages, Vessels for Church and Table" is on view from July 12 to October 15, 2006 at the Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture, 18 West 86 Street, New York, NY 10024 (Telephone: 212-501-3000; Website). The gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM (Thursday from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM). Admission is $3.00 for adults and $2.00 for senior citizens (65 years of age and older) and students.
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From your Guide: Stan Parchin, Senior Correspondent for Museums and Special Exhibitions, is a specialist in ancient, late-medieval and Renaissance art and history, and a regular contributor to About Art History. You may read all of his Special Exhibition and Catalogue Reviews here.
"Lions, Dragons, and Other Beasts: Aquamanilia of the Middle Ages, Vessels for Church and Table" is on view from July 12 to October 15, 2006 at the Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture, 18 West 86 Street, New York, NY 10024 (Telephone: 212-501-3000; Website). The gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM (Thursday from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM). Admission is $3.00 for adults and $2.00 for senior citizens (65 years of age and older) and students.
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From your Guide: Stan Parchin, Senior Correspondent for Museums and Special Exhibitions, is a specialist in ancient, late-medieval and Renaissance art and history, and a regular contributor to About Art History. You may read all of his Special Exhibition and Catalogue Reviews here.