This ewer was undoubtedly made with a matching basin, now lost, and would have stood on a buffet in a dining room. Until forks became common after the seventeenth century, diners used ewers and basins to wash their hands. This ewer is an interpretation of a French style that evolved during the reign of Louis XIV (1643–1715) under the influence of his court designer Jean Berain (1640–1711), but the three bands of strapwork may have been designed by Heuglin.