Lot Essay
This well cast 17th Century mortar is signed by two different founders. The lower frieze is inscribed with a short rhyme meaning 'by shortage of money Pauwels Neerincx restored me 1688'. The term 'hersteldt' probably means recast (no repairs are visible!) or finished. Possibly Van Halle prepared the cast of this mortar but ran out of money or material the so-called 'bell metal' and could not make the actual cast. Possibly Neerincx took over the cast and finished this mortar emphasizing the failure of Van Halle with his less sensitive rhyme.