ITALIAN, 1747

Details

A BRONZE MORTAR AND IRON PESTLE
Italian, 1747
Inscribed around the upper rim '+IN HONOREM DEI. FECIT. IOANNES ANTONIVS MOROTTI A:D: MDCCXLVII.'; the body decorated with acanthus leaves, putti heads and St. James of Compostella in relief; also with three cartouches of the Virgin and Child, Christ, and a female martyr. Minor dents and wear; oxidization to the pestle.
15 in. (38.1 cm) high, 17¾ in. (45.1 cm.) diam.

Lot Essay

The inscription indicates that this mortar was made by Giovani Antonio Morotti. The figure on the front of the mortar is St. James (Sant'Iago) of Compostella, with the cross of the Order of the Knights of Santiago, a high order of chivalry. The three smaller cartouches each feature a saint: the first of which is labeled Santa Maria Lauretana (Loreto), the second is unidentifiable, and the third is Jesus of Nazareth. There is a similar mortar in the Museo Storico Nazionale dell'Arte Sanitaria in Rome, dedicated to Santa Maria Lauretana and dated 1762, with comparable decoration (G. Lise and B. Bearzi, Antichi Mortai di Farmacia, Milan 1975, no. IL.).

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