Burnishing compresses the metal surface to reduce the distortion left by fine files or scrapers. This detail shows the haunch burnished with a highly polished and rounded antler tool. Ubaldo Vitali (American, b. 1944), Reproduction of a Lion Aquamanile, Maplewood, New Jersey, 2006, H. 19 cm, after Aquamanile in the Form of a Lion, probably northern Germany, 12th century, H. 19.5 cm (Metropolitan Museum of Art, gift of Irwin Untermyer, 1964, inv. 64.101.1491). See Dandridge, Pete. 2006. “Exquisite Objects, Prodigious Technique. Aquamanilia, Vessels of the Middle Ages.” In Lions, Dragons, and Other Beasts: Aquamanilia of the Middle Ages, Vessels for Church and Table, edited by Peter Barnet and Pete Dandridge, 35–56. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press..