It was a major discovery: the former director of the Dommuseum Hildesheim (Hildesheim Cathedral Museum), Dr Michael Brandt, attributed the water vessel in the shape of a dragon, used for representative purposes, to a sculptor from Hildesheim. The episcopal city was an important centre for bronze artworks in the Middle Ages, reaching its artistic peak in the 12th century.

The Kulturstiftung der Länder, the Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung and the Klosterkammer provided the funds for its purchase. To mark its acquisition, the Hildesheim Cathedral Museum organised a special exhibition and a conference in 2016. The detailed publication Drachenlandung (Dragon Landing) was published with the support of the Kunsthandlung Julius Böhler.

Claudia Höhl, Gerhard Lutz, Joanna Olchawa (eds), Drachenlandung. Ein Hildesheimer Drachen-Aquamanile des 12. Jahrhunderts, Regensburg 2017

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