Ewer with Wild Man Finial

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

These ewers long have been thought to be the pair mentioned in the 1526 and 1585 inventories of the Order of the Teutonic Knights, which were emblazoned with the arms of Hartmann von Stockheim, the German grand master of the order between 1499 and 1510 or 1513. Both works shown here are unmarked, and the attribution to Nuremberg is based on stylistic comparisons. For instance, the small cast figures against the buttresses are similar to examples by the Nuremberg goldsmith Sebastian Lindenast the Elder. The enameled and painted wild men are heraldic supporters but also can be understood as symbols of virility and procreation.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.

Metropolitan Museum of Art