From the twelfth to the fifteenth century, a remarkable group of anthropomorphic and zoomorphic vessels for ceremonial hand washing were made in medieval Germany. Employed in the service of the Mass and at the noble table, aquamanilia ranged in shape from single animals such as dragons, lions, and peacocks to more complex compositions, including mounted knights and Samson fighting the lion. The appearance of these objects in Germany in the twelfth century is remarkable for a number of reasons. Perhaps most importantly, they mark the resurgence of the technology for casting hollow metal objects in medieval Europe, a skill that had been dormant there since antiquity. The Islamic world, on the other hand, had maintained a tradition of casting zoomorphic vessels in copper alloys. The sudden emergence of aquamanilia in Europe at a time of expanded contact with Islamic lands clearly indicates artistic exchange between these different cultures. This is one of the many important points made in a lucidly written and beautifully produced new catalogue, Lions, Dragons, and Other Beasts: Aquamanilia of the Middle Ages, Vessels for Church and Table, which accompanied a 2006 exhibition at the Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts. The catalogue’s principal...