Brass, cast, with swing handle and dragon head spout, The Netherlands, 1470-1500

Brass laver with dragon head spout swing handle, the base of the handle decorated with human busts. Inscription upon the side relating to the previous owner Hajj Lutuf al-Haytalani. The laver formerly had two spouts, one of which has been removed and replaced with a lion head mask.

The Venetians are known from documentary evidence to have traded copper from Northern Europe to the Mamluk empire, which included Syria, in the reign of Sultan Qa'itbay (1468-1496) - exactly the period when this laver was made. The material evidence suggests that the Venetians also shipped finished brass vessels in the Mamluke style in the later 15th or in the 16th century. The laver may well have formed part of this commerce.

Stedelijke Museum RF.2004/938
text provided by Tim Stanley

This laver was part of a large acquisition which was acquired as a "Room and Fittings from Damascus".

The laver formerly had two spouts, one of which has been removed and replaced with a lion head mask.

Historical significance: Lavers like this example were particularly common in North Germany. They often had this distinct bowl shape with decorative features, usually dragon-head spouts and human busts at the base of the handle. This object highlights the importance of bronze production in Northern Europe in this period. Not only does the number of surviving objects of this type suggest that they were produced in large numbers, but the arabic inscription upon this particuarly laver shows the far reaching nature of this trade.

The laver was a water vessel that was usually hung in a niche above a basin and used for washing. By tilting the basin forwards, water could be drawn as required. Brassware of this type was made in large numbers and widely exported, and the history of this specimen suggests that Syria may have been a market for such items. The Victoria and Albert Museum bought the laver in 1880 as part of the fixtures of an 18th century reception room in a house in the Syrian capital, Damascus. It seems that the laver and a variety of other objects acquired at the same time were on display in the room when it was sold. In addition, the laver is inscribed on one side in Arabic with the name of a former owner Hajj Lutuf al-Haytalani.
(Text provided by Tim Stanley)

Lavers like this example were used to wash hands. They were often kept in niches in the wall, suspended above a basin. The basin would be tipped to release the water from the spout. Very little water would be wasted as the laver would swing upright when the pourer had finished.

Cleanliness was very important to people in this period, particuarly the washing of hands before, during and after a meal. Elaborate ewers and basins were often placed upon the tables of the rich during dinner for this purpose. This laver shows the development of a new trend in the domestic environment in which members of the household washed their hands with less ceremony.

This laver demonstrates the far reaching nature of merchant trade links in the 15th century. It is a domestic object for washing hands made in Northern Europe, the heart of base metal production in this period. Yet the history of this object and its Arabic inscription suggests that it was used in Syria. The Venetians are known to have traded in copper from Northern Europe with the Mamluk Empire, which included Syria, in the reign of Sultan Qa'itbay (1468-1496). It is possible that they also traded in finished brass vessels in the later 15th or 16th century. This laver may have been part of such a trade.

411M-1880