Rare and enigmatic, the Cleveland Museum of Art's Table Fountain has somehow survived nearly intact for 700 years. A medieval automaton, the table fountain is an exquisite piece of Gothic architecture in miniature with parapets, arcades, vaults, and columns. Intimate scenes in translucent and opaque enamel plaques, along with nozzles in the shapes of lions and dragons, add to its fascination. But it is kinetic as well: water wheels and bells capture the sight and sound of flowing water. Other such fountains are mentioned in royal inventories, but they were probably melted down for other uses.
Acquired by the museum in 1924, this object inspires many questions about its origins and history. Given its extreme rarity, early scholarship introduced many misunderstandings; Myth
and Mystique: Cleveland's Gothic Table Fountain addresses these lingering questions, and assesses the fountain in the context of a group of objects including luxury silver, hand-washing
vessels, enamels, illuminated manuscripts, and a painting, each of which informs some aspect of its history, functionality, presumed use, materials, technique, dating, and style.
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