Press Release
L ions, Dragons, and Other Beasts: Aquamanilia of the Middle Ages, Vessels for Church and Table
JULY 12 – OCTOBER 15, 2006
The Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture
Aquamanilia of the Middle Ages, the second exhibition resulting from a collaboration
between the Bard Graduate Center and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, features
the Metropolitan’s superb collection of medieval aquamanilia. The first
hollow-cast vessels produced in the medieval West, aquamanilia were used by
priests to pour water for hand washing before mass, and by lay people at mealtimes.
Each vessel had two openings, one for filling with water and one for pouring.
Human and animal forms were used, the animals often being fantastic creations.
Aquamanilia are among the most distinctive and delightful products of the
Middle Ages.
The Metropolitan Museum houses one of the most important collections of aquamanilia
in the world, dating from the 12th to the 15th centuries. Examples are divided
between the Department of Medieval Art, the Lehman Collection and The Cloisters,
the museum’s up- town branch. Until this collaboration with the BGC,
the collection was never exhibited together or catalogued. The exhibition
has been organized by Peter Barnet, Michel David-Weill Curator in Charge,
the Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters, The Metropolitan Museum
of Art, and Pete Dandrige, Conservator, Sherman Fairchild Center for Objects
Conservation at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
For many museum visitors, aquamanilia hold a particular fascination because
of their always original and sometimes whimsical sculptural forms. But if
the vessels are seen out of context and usage, viewers may not fully understand
their meaning and function in medieval society. This exhibition offers insight
into these intriguing objects and provides viewers with a greater appreciation
of the history and culture of the period.
BACKGROUND
The BGC–Metropolitan collaborations are a key component of the BGC’s
Museum History and Practice concentration, which was inaugurated in 2001 in
order to accommodate the increasing number of students interested in museum
careers. The joint projects provide opportunities for students in the BGC’s
graduate programs to gain valuable hands-on museum experience, and for BGC
faculty and Metropolitan curators to work together to plan exhibitions of
significant decorative arts collections normally not known by the general
public.
For this exhibition, BGC students collaborated with curators and conservators
from the Metropolitan to conduct research on the objects and produce the gallery
guide. Students made an in-depth study of medieval art, history, and culture,
and conducted specific research on the Metropolitan’s aquamanilia collection.
The students were also directly involved in researching additional objects
included in the exhibition to help visitors better understand the importance
of aquamanilia within the medieval world.
A major focus of the exhibition is the development of the techniques and materials
used to cast and finish aquamanilia. Early treatises, including the 12th-century
manuscript On Divers Arts, were an important resource, but much additional
information about medieval metalworking generally and aquamanilia specifically
was obtained from physical evidence such as tool marks and core impressions
on the objects themselves. A variety of analytic techniques, including study
of the alloys and core materials, were also employed. Based on the information
generated by this research, Ubaldo Vitali, a fourth-generation Italian silversmith,
cast an aquamanile in his studio replicating medieval techniques. Vitali is
one of the most accomplished and inspired artisans working today, and a noted
historian of metalworking technologies with substantial experience in the
casting and finishing of metals. His process was digitally recorded and has
been incorporated into the exhibition and its catalogue.
EXHIBITION
The entire aquamanilia collection of the Metropolitan Museum, as well as selected
examples from other major collections, is on display. Additional objects drawn
from the Metropolitan’s extensive collection provide context. Late Antique,
Byzantine, and Islamic works suggest sources and models. Stylistic and technical
relationships are explored with other medieval examples in various media,
such as tapestry and ceramic.
CATALOGUE
A full-color catalogue documents the entire collection of aquamanilia in the
Metropolitan Museum, and presents scholarly essays by the exhibition organizers.
Peter Barnet discusses the meaning, usage, and stylistic development of the
aquamanile. Pete Dandridge describes the technological discoveries made during
the analysis of the aquamanilia collection and explains how this information
increases understanding of medieval metalworking and the production of aquamanilia.
The catalogue also includes an essay by Dr. Ursula Mende, Germanisches Nationalmuseum,
Nuremberg; entries for all exhibited aquamanilia; and a checklist of related
objects.
RELATED PROGRAMS
An array of lectures, panels, and other offerings will be presented in conjunction
with the exhibition. For further information, please call 212-501-3011 or
e-mail programs@bgc.bard.edu.
EXHIBITION TOURS
Group tours of the exhibition may be scheduled Tuesday through Friday between
11:15 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., and on Thursdays until 7:00 p.m. Reservations are
required for all groups. For further information, please call the Bard Graduate
Center Gallery at 212-501-3013 or TTY 212-501-3012, or e-mail gallery@bgc.bard.edu.
GENERAL INFORMATION
The Bard Graduate Center is located at 18 West 86th Street, between Central
Park West and Columbus Avenue, in New York City. Gallery hours are Tuesday
through Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to
8:00 p.m. Admission is $3 general, $2 seniors and students (with valid ID),
and free on Thursday evening after 5:00 p.m. For further information about
the Bard Graduate Center and upcoming exhibitions, please visit our website
at www.bgc.bard.edu.
Support for Lions, Dragons, and Other Beasts: Aquamanilia
of the Middle Ages, Vessels for Church and Table has been generously
provided by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation; the New York State Council on
the Arts, a state agency; and the David L. Klein Jr. Foundation.
For further information, please call 212-501-3000 or e-mail generalinfo@bgc.bard.edu.
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