The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 23, 2024

Lavabo

Lavabo

1400s
brass
Diameter: 23.8 cm (9 3/8 in.); Overall: 36.9 x 46.4 cm (14 1/2 x 18 1/4 in.)
Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund 1965.22
Location: 112 Northern Renaissance

Did You Know?

On either side of the handle appear two human faces while the spouts themselves are animals, perhaps lions or dogs.

Description

In the Middle Ages a variety of vessels were used for hand washing. This brass container, called a lavabo, was designed to hold a large quantity of water and may have functioned in either a domestic or a liturgical setting. Its large capacity and relatively simple decoration suggests it served a communal function, either in a private home or perhaps in a monastery where it would have served as a hand-washing station near the refectory. In private homes, lavabos of similar design were usually hung from a chain or a trammel hook over or near the fire in the kitchen. The ring inserted at the top of the handle would have allowed for the rotation of the vessel while it was suspended, facilitating access to the spouts for water. Seen in conjunction with other vessels displayed nearby, this object illustrates the variety of hand-washing vessels used by medieval men and women.
  • ?-1965
    (J. J. Klejman, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1965-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Lee, Sherman E. "Year in Review." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 52, no. 9 (1965) p. 152 www.jstor.org
    "Twelve Additions to the Medieval Treasury." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 59, no. 4 (1972) p. 103-104 www.jstor.org
    Wixom, William D. Renaissance Bronzes from Ohio Collections. 1975.
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 76, 80 archive.org
    Fliegel, Stephen N., and Elina Gertsman. Myth and Mystique: Cleveland's Gothic Table Fountain. 2016. p. 140-143
    Mikolic, Amanda. The Art of Handwashing. The Cleveland Museum of Art The Thinker Blog on Medium. April 10, 2020. medium.com
  • Myth and Mystique: Cleveland's Gothic Table Fountain. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 9, 2016-February 26, 2017).
    Year in Review: 1965. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 27-November 14, 1965).
  • {{cite web|title=Lavabo|url=false|author=|year=1400s|access-date=23 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1965.22