[Sca-cooks] handwashing at feasts

[Pixel, Goddess and Queen]

On Tue, 29 Jan 2002, Mercy Neumark wrote:

>
> >I have a picture, from a prose Tristan, early 14th c, Italia IIRC if >you
> >are interested. it's the one I used  as my reasoning for the big >tub that
> >looks like a kiddie pool- people were loned up in front of it >with a
> >servant on one side of the big basin with a pitcher and anotehr >with a
> >towel. on the other side of the picture was the high table with >their own
> >troop of servants doing the washing thing.
>
> I got into this conversation tail end, so I apologize if this is already
> been said.
>
> There is a pitcher-like vessel called an aquamanile (I've also seen it
> spelled as Aquamantle) which is normally either bronze or ceramic, that is
> sculpted into an animal or I've seen as my pottery Laurel Master Hroar
> Stormgengr has made, Knights on horseback.  These are primarily used in
> handwashing and I have a few period pictures of bronze ones, if you all are
> interested in looking at them.  I plan on making one this year sometime, on
> top of all the other projects.  Heh.  Well, at least I'm busy.

Ah, yes. There's a (I *think*) 14th century brass one which is supposed to
be Xanthippe sitting on the back of Socrates, in the book _The Medieval
Art of Love. Amongst my books I have pictures of a griffon, a lion,
several knights on horseback, the aforementioned Socrates/Xanthippe, and a
rooster, one or two of which I think are actually pottery.

A couple of years ago I commissioned the aforementioned pottery Laurel to
make one for the gentleman who is my love and inspiration. It's a
hedgehog, in a 13th century style. There are pictures, somewhere. If he
ever finds them again I'm supposed to send some to Hroar. It's a very cute
hedgehog.

Margaret