The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

Table Fountain

Table Fountain

c. 1320–40
Overall: 33.8 x 25.4 x 26 cm (13 5/16 x 10 x 10 1/4 in.)

Did You Know?

This fountain with its minute architectural details and finely made enamel plaques displayed the wealth and refinement of the owner as it entertained his guests. Imagine hearing the ringing of the tiny bells when this fountain was in use.

Description

Conceptually and stylistically, this object is beyond all else a piece of Gothic architecture in miniature with vaults, pinnacles, columns, and traceried arches. Though the artist who created it is unknown, he was unquestionably inspired by the great Gothic buildings of his time.
The table fountain is a three-tiered assembly combining cast elements with bent sheets of gilt-silver. To these have been attached a series of enamel plaques representing grotesque figures, some of which play musical instruments. Water wheels and bells were added to capture motion and sound.
The rich detail, precious materials, and involved ornamentation of this deluxe object suggest it would have been expensive to produce and highly treasured by its original owner, someone of high status, and would have been deployed as an object of spectacle. This is the most complete example of its type known to survive from the Middle Ages. Medieval inventories reveal that small fountains like this, often taking various forms, and generally made from precious metals, once existed in large numbers, thus making the Cleveland table fountain an extremely rare object.
  • ?-1924
    (M. & R. Stora, Paris, France, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1924-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Milliken, William M. "A Table Fountain of the Fourteenth Century." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 12, no. 3 (1925). pp. 36-39 www.jstor.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1925. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 16 archive.org
    Milliken, William M. "In Memoriam: Jeptha Homer Wade." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 13, no. 4 (1926) p. 75 www.jstor.org
    Milliken, William M. “Early Enamels in the Cleveland Museum of Art.” Connoisseur 76 (October 1926). pp. 69-70
    Bassermann-Jordan, Ernst von. The Clock of Philip the Good of Burgundy. Leipzig: W. Diebener g.m.b.h, 1927. p. 39, figs. 35-36
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1928. Reproduced: p. 18 archive.org
    Milliken, William Mathewson. The Twentieth Anniversary Exhibition of the Cleveland Museum of Art. [New York]: [The Art news], 1936. Cat. No. 15
    Henry S Francis, "A Gothic Table Fountain and an Engraved Design for on by the Master [W with a Key]" The Print Collector's Quarterly (April, 1939).
    Francis, Henry S. "A Gothic Fountain Design by the Goldsmith-Engraver Monogrammist [Unrepresentable Symbol]." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 26, no. 7 (1939). p. 118, 120
    Stites, Raymond S. The Arts and Man. New York: Whittlesey House, 1940. p. 445, fig. 369
    N. M. Penzer, "The Great Wine Coolers -- II," Apollo LXVI, no. 391 (September, 1957). pp. 40-41, fig II
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 179 archive.org
    Walters Art Gallery (Baltimore, Md.). The International Style: The Arts in Europe Around 1400; [Exhibition]: October 23-December 2, 1962. 1962.
    "Gothic Art 1360-1440." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 50, no. 7 (1963). No. 33, p. 175 www.jstor.org
    Harry Bober, "Medieval Art and Cleveland," Apollo LXXVII, no. 22 (1963).
    Silvio A. Bedini, "The Role of Automata in the History of Technology, " Technology and Culture V (Winter, 1964). p. 33, fig. 7
    Colin Eisler, "Le gothique international," Art de France IV (1964). pp. 288-90
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 63 archive.org
    Joseph Alsop, "Treasures of The Cleveland Museum of Art," Art in America (May-June, 1966). p. 36
    Cleveland Museum of Art. Selected Works: Cleveland Museum of Art. 1967. No. 99
    Cleveland Museum of Art. Treasures from Medieval France: A Summary Catalogue of the Exhibition. [Cleveland]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1967. Cat. No. VI 18, pp. 250-51, 376
    Wixom, William D. Treasures from Medieval France. [Cleveland]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1967. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 250-251; cat. no. VI-18 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 63 archive.org
    Munro, Thomas. Form and Style in the Arts: An Introduction to Aesthetic Morphology. Cleveland: Press of Case Western Reserve University, 1970. fig. 18
    Hernmarck, Carl. The Art of the European Silversmith, 1430-1830. London: Sotheby Parke Bernet, 1977. p. 100, pl. 271
    Impey, O. R. Chinoiserie: The Impact of Oriental Styles on Western Art and Decoration. London: Oxford University Press, 1977. p.178, fig. 203
    Miller, Naomi. French Renaissance Fountains. New York: Garland Pub, 1977. pp. 33, 347, No. 8, footnotes 11-12
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 71 archive.org
    Lightbown, R. W. Secular Goldsmiths' Work in Medieval France: A History. London: Society of Antiquaries of London, 1978. p. 48-51
    Donzet, Bruno, and Christian Siret. Les Fastes du gothique: le siècle de Charles V : Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, 9 octobre 1981-1er février 1982. [Paris]: Ministère de la culture, Editions de la Réunion des musées nationaux, 1981. Cat. No. 191, pp. 236-38
    Dombi, Istvan, Bernd Höfler, and Ingrid Loschek. Bruckmann's Silber-Lexikon. München: Bruckmann, 1982. p. 290
    Dumbarton Oaks Colloquium on the History of Landscape Architecture, and Elisabeth B. MacDougall. Medieval Gardens. Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, 1986. p. 144
    Patrick M. De Winter, "Castles and Town Residences of Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy (1364-1404), Artibus et historiae No. 8 (1983). p. 117
    Truman, Charles. Sotheby's Concise Encyclopedia of Silver. London: Conran Octopus, 1993. p. 53
    Chastel, André. French Art. Paris: Flammarion, 1994. p. 315
    Richter, Rainer. "Between Original and Imitation: Four Technical Studies in Basse-Taille Enameling and Re-Enameling of the Historicism Period." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 81, no. 7 (1994): 222-51. Reproduced: cover, p. 222, 234-35; Mentioned: p. 222-52 www.jstor.org
    Daston, Lorraine, and Katharine Park. Wonders and the Order of Nature, 1150-1750. New York: Zone Books, 1998. p. 99, Fig. 2.10
    Kemp, Martin. The Oxford History of Western Art. 2000. No. 237, p. 168
    May, Sally Ruth, Jane Takac, and Barbara J. Bradley. Knockouts: A Pocket Guide. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2001. pp. 27 & 116
    Fliegel, Stephen N. "The Cleveland Table Fountain and Gothic Automata." Cleveland Studies in the History of Art 7 (2002). pp. 6-49 www.jstor.org
    Pérouse de Montclos, Jean-Marie. Paris: City of Art. New York: Vendome, 2003. p. 119
    Fliegel, Stephen N., Sophie Jugie, and Virginie Barthélémy. Art from the Court of Burgundy: The Patronage of Philip the Bold and John the Fearless 1364-1419 : Musée Des Beaux-Arts De Dijon, May 28-September 15, 2004, the Cleveland Museum of Art, October 24, 2004-January 9, 2005. [Dijon]: Musée des beaux-arts, 2004. Cat. No. 26, p. 87
    Fliegel, Stephen. "Patronage and the Burgundian Court, 1364-1419" The Magazine Antiques (October 2004). p. 142-51, pl. III
    Bernstein, Bernard. The Fifteenth Century Arles Torah Crown Contract: A Twenty-First Century Silversmith's Interpretation. [New York]: B. Bernstein, 2005. p. 31, fig. 5
    Nys, Wim. Zilver uit Antwerpen = Argenterie d'Anvers = Silber aus Antwerpen = Silver from Antwerp. Antwerp: Zilvermuseum Sterckshof, 2006. p. 120
    Rowland-Jones, Anthony. "Iconography in the history of the recorder up to 1430-Part 2". Early Music XXXIV, no. 1 (2006). p. 12, fig. 12
    Cleveland Museum of Art, and Holger A. Klein. Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 190-193, no. 68
    Eikelmann, Renate, Holger A. Klein, Stephen N. Fliegel, and Virginia Brilliant. The Cleveland Museum of Art: Meisterwerke von 300 bis 1550. München: Hirmer, 2007. Cat. No. 72, p. 198-199
    Piña, Leslie A. Furniture in History, 3000 B.C.-2000 A.D. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2010. pp. 3, 25
    Caskey, Jill, Adam S. Cohen, and Linda Safran. Confronting the Borders of Medieval Art. Leiden, The Netherlands: Koninklijke Brill, 2011. p. 176, fig. 4
    Anderson, Maxwell Lincoln. The Quality Instinct: Seeing Art Through a Museum Director's Eye. Washington, DC: AAM Press, American Association of Museums, 2012. p. 32-33
    Cleveland Museum of Art, David Franklin, and C. Griffith Mann. Treasures from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2012. pp. 116-7
    Kirkham, Pat, and Susan Weber. History of Design: Decorative Arts and Material Culture, 1400-2000. 2013. p. 92, Fig. 5.10
    Conference "The splendour of Burgundy.", Wim Blockmans, and Anne van Oosterwijk. Staging the Court of Burgundy: Proceedings of the Conference "The Splendour of Burgundy". Turnhout: Brepols, 2013. Fig. 20, p. 136
    Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 269
    Normore, Christina. A Feast for the Eyes: Art, Performance, and the Late Medieval Banquet. Chicago: Univesity of Chicago Press, [2015]. Mentioned: p. 28-31; Reproduced: p. 29, fig. 3
    Fliegel, Stephen N., and Elina Gertsman. Myth and Mystique: Cleveland's Gothic Table Fountain. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art; London: In association with D Giles Limited, [2016]. Reproduced: p. 92, plate 1
    Bagnoli, Martina. "Sensual Awakenings." In A Feast for the Senses: Art and Experience in Medieval Europe, edited by Martina Bagnoli. Baltimore: The Walters Art Museum, 2016. Reproduced: p. 14
    Cleveland Museum of Art. Museum Masters: 2016-17 Companion Guide. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2016. Mentioned and Reproduced: P. 15
    Cleveland Museum of Art. Museum Masters: 2016-17 Companion Guide. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2016. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 62-64
    Gertsman, Elina and Barbara H. Rosenwein. The Middle Ages in 50 Objects. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018. Mentioned: p. 146-149; Reproduced: p. 147
    Freundeskreis des Bayerischen Nationalmuseums. Hommage: Renate Eikelmann. München: Sieveking Verlag, 2018. Reproduced: p. 38
    Kessler, Herbert L . Experiencing Medieval Art. Toronto; Buffalo ;London: University of Toronto Press, 2019. Reproduced: p. 182, fig. 64
    Cordez, Philippe. "Musique et Jouvence au Royaume de France: Le Roman de Fauvel et la Fountaine de Cleveland (Pairs, vers 1320)," Object Studies in Art History Vol. 3 (2020) pp. 17-39
    Bernasconi, Gianenrico, and Susanne Thürigen. Material histories of time: objects and practices, 14th-19th centuries. 2020. Reproduced; pp. 18, 21, 31, fig. 1. Mentioned: pp. 17-39
    Bock, Nicolas, and Michele Tomasi. Art et économie en France et en Italie au XIVe siècle: prix, valeurs, carrières. 2020, 124. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 124, Fig. 4.
    Gertsman, Elina, and Stephen N. Fliegel. Collectors, Commissioners, Curators: Studies in Medieval Art for Stephen N. Fliegel. Berlin ; Boston : De Gruyter ; [Kalamazoo, Michigan] : Medieval Institute Publications, 2023. Mentioned and reproduced: pp. 1-2, Fig. 0.1.
  • Myth and Mystique: Cleveland's Gothic Table Fountain. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 9, 2016-February 26, 2017).
    Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. National Museum of Bavaria, Munich, Germany (May 10-September 16, 2007); J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA (October 30, 2007-January 20, 2008); Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN (February 13-June 7, 2009).
    Dukes and Angels: Art from the Court of Burgundy (1364-1419). Musée des Beaux-Arts, Dijon, Dijon, France (May 27-September 15, 2004); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 24, 2004-January 9, 2005).
    All That Glitters: Great Silver Vessels in Cleveland's Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 23, 1994-January 8, 1995).
    Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 7-September 8, 1991).
    Consuming Passions: The Art of Food and Drink. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 26-October 9, 1983).
    Le Siecle de Charles V (The Century of Charles V). Réunion des musées nationaux - Grand Palais, Paris cedex 12, France (October 10, 1981-February 1, 1982).
    Les Fastes du Gothique: Le Siecle de Charles V, The Grand Palais, Paris (9 Oct. 1981-1 Feb.1982).
    Treasures of Medieval France. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 16, 1966-January 29, 1967).
    Gothic Art 1360-1440. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 6-September 15, 1963).
    The International Style: The Arts in Europe around 1400. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD (organizer) (October 23-December 2, 1962).
    The International Style: The Arts in European around 1400, The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, MD (October 23 - December 2, 1962).
    The Twentieth Anniversary Exhibition: The Official Art Exhibit of the Great Lakes Exposition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 26-October 4, 1936).
  • {{cite web|title=Table Fountain|url=false|author=|year=c. 1320–40|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1924.859