15th Cty Brass Alms Dish With A Griffin In Profile Wearing A Phylactery Bearing Gothic Inscription

Haute Epoque

Rare and heavy engraved and repelled brass alms dish depicting a griffin holding a phylactery bearing a Gothic inscription, probably workshops of Nüremberg (Germany) of the second half of the fifteenth century.
This brass alms dish is covered with "the rare image of an eagle which has its wings spread out and is holding a scroll in its talons. The rest of its body is that of a lion. This strange creature can be both a reference to St John and ths mythological griffon which, in the medieval Christian world, was a symbol of Jesus Christ. St John's eagle dominating the sky and the St Mark's lion dominating the Earth are here united in a single creature, the ultimate symbol of perfection and power. The rim is decorated with a sequence of punched decorative and repeated elements."


Condition: hanging holes plugged with tin or copper, these repairs are old. Cuts at the hem of the edge of the dish.
This dish, in an average condition, is nevertheless one of the oldest copies (second half of the fifteenth century) that can be found in this collection thema. The other examples found -only... two ! (see last photos) come from the most prestigious institutions, such as the Nuremberg Museums or the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
Around 35cm diameter

Bibliography
*Frederico ANDRISIANI " Brass alms dishes, 15th and 16th centuries brass alms dishes, bowls and bassins ", Padoue (Italie) 2017
*Tamas EGYEKI-SZABO " Beckensclägerschüsseln 15.-16. Jahrhundert ", Budapest (Hongrie) 2008