Bronze pitcher...Roman? experts needed

Hey guys found this pitcher at the flea market today and decided to take a chance on it even though it looks like someone has turned it into a fountain at on time. Any help would be greatly appreciated on estimated age and origin! TIA!

 

Dimensions? I don't see signs of age. What's the opening in the back for? Better pic of that side?

 

Stylistically it looks more medieval than Roman. Charlemagne and like that. But how it looks is no guarantee of age.

 

It's 7 inches tall by 6 inches in his shoulders the holes I'm guessing are later in both the bottom and back it looks like someone connected pipes to him for a fountain? The white stuff looks like calcium build up bit I'm no expert...

 

He's missing his lid.

 

Copy of a 12th century aquamanile? See about halfway down this page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquamanile

 

That's the exact same pitcher would they have made a mold of that one to create this one? Every line in the figure matches up with the one posted..

 

I don't know.

 

Well thanks for finding it for me i really appreciate it! !

 

Wouldn't it be wonderful if yours was that old????

 

I just took another look at the one in the link, his fingers are spread and a few other detaails are different than yours.

 

The wiki article at the link is misleading if not wrong-says the gold-looking object owned by the Aachen cathedral is one of the few such objects known "in a precious metal." They are saying it is solid gold. It isn't. Is gilded bronze. A gilded item doesn't qualify as an item made of gold. Gotta always be wary of stuff u read on the web.

 

I found another photo of this same aquamanile from a different angle on a page of photos devoted to Aachen, which encourages me to believe that's where it is, but it didn't show up in a quick look at the Aachen Cathedral treasury. It might have been confused in the Wikipedia article with the bust of Charlemagne, gilded silver, that is in that collection. Still not pure gold.

 

I know its probably a pipe dream but does anyone have any suggestions on who I could contact to see about authentication? I've been looking up reproduction and copies but I'm not finding anything on this particular guy...

 

I don't know how, but you might contact the Aachen Cathedral to see if they are aware of any other examples, replicas, reproductions.

 

GREAT IDEA thanks !!!

 

One way to get a very rough "new or old" guess would be to examine the flattened area around the hole in the top. An experienced eye can tell what kind of tool was used to finish that area, and if modern of course power tools would most likely have been used.

 

Ok so I have contacted both Aachen Cathedral and Christie's since they have experience in selling these, so far the only one to respond was Christie's requesting additional info and pics. Now it's just a waiting game I'm sure the outcome will be that it's a newer reproduction but one can hope! Springfield I'll check that once I get home this afternoon thanks for the tip I appreciate it