Drinking Vessel (Hanap; one of a pair)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Hanaps, or drinking vessels for wine, are frequently mentioned in 14th-century inventories. Few have survived, however, as silver plate was often melted down to realize funds for the owner. Wine, customarily diluted throughout the Middle Ages, was poured to the top of the boss and then water was added to the flare of the bowl, roughly in the proportion of four to one.

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