Buckets were first made in brass (and related alloys, as here) for liturgical use, because the Church required something grander than the humble wooden pail. At first there were many basic similarities between the two. Brass buckets copied the tapering profile of those in wood and were decorated with horizontal lines encircling the rim, centre and base, reminiscent of the metal hoops holding the staves together. Gradually craftsmen began to develop forms peculiar to brass.

Buckets were often cast with a circular stepped foot, as in this example, that could be decorated with a pattern of perforations. The three short legs show stylistic similarities with contemporary cauldrons and three-legged jugs, and are a feature of buckets made in northern Germany and Flanders. The inscription around the side of the vessel is characteristic of the more elaborate examples, as is the ogee-shaped handle.

The stylistic variations were undoubtedly prompted by ecclesiastical commissions. Throughout the Middle Ages, Church art was more susceptible to changes of fashion than the highly conservative domestic market.