Mortar
12th-13th century
Description
This mortar is decorated with incised Kufic benedictory inscriptions and geometric decoration. The crescents on the rim were probably originally inlaid with silver. Mortars had a wide variety of uses, including the pounding of herbs and spices for cooking or medicinal purposes and the pounding of various other materials for artisans and alchemists. This mortar was cast and is composed of a leaded brass alloy, a typical method of manufacture. Leaded alloys had the advantages of being cheap, easy to cast, heavy and stable. Disadvantages included a susceptibility to damage through repeated use (as seen here in the bulging base), and more seriously, lead poisoning, particularly if an acidic substance were pounded in the mortar. Notes from the Glory and Prosperity exhibition, Feb - June 2002.
Dimensions
13 x 17 cm (5 1/8 x 6 11/16 in.)
Related Artworks
View MoreRock crystal
18th-19th centuryChineseTerracotta
2nd-3rd century CERomanPale blue-green glass
5th-6th centuryRomanInlaid celadon ware: light gray stoneware with celadon glaze over decoration inlaid in white slip
13th centuryKoreanCeramic
20th centuryGermanTurned bronze
9th-10th centuryVietnameseTerracotta; pale yellow clay with slip
7th-6th century BCEGreekTerracotta
Coin silver
19th centuryAmericanAlabaster
GreekDing ware: porcelaneous white stoneware with ivory-hued glaze over incised and carved decoration. From the Ding kilns at Quyang, Hebei province.
11th-12th centuryChineseCeramic
Chinese