Mortar
1520-1560 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This mortar is made in ca. 1520-1560 in Italy, with the Veneto as the most precise place of origin that can be given at present. The form seems to have been developed from bell-shaped mortars.
The object came to the museum through the Salting bequest. George Salting (b. 1836; d. 1909) - an Australian, who settled in England - was a prolific collector in a number of areas, including Chinese and Japanese ceramics and European art. By 1874 his collection had outgrown his residence in St. James's Street, prompting him to lend items to the South Kensington Museum. After his death in 1909, the majority of this astonishing collection passed to the V&A, where it was shown in its own galleries.
The object came to the museum through the Salting bequest. George Salting (b. 1836; d. 1909) - an Australian, who settled in England - was a prolific collector in a number of areas, including Chinese and Japanese ceramics and European art. By 1874 his collection had outgrown his residence in St. James's Street, prompting him to lend items to the South Kensington Museum. After his death in 1909, the majority of this astonishing collection passed to the V&A, where it was shown in its own galleries.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Bronze |
Brief description | Mortar, bronze, with foliage and dolphins, Italy (Veneto), ca. 1520-1560 |
Physical description | Vase-shaped mortar with two handles of scroll form. On the lip, an astragal, and below acanthus on a cyma recta moulding. On the body, vine-leaf scrolls emanating from dolphins, a shield superimposed at the centre of each side over a basket of fruit, tazza or vase. An ovolo below. On the foot, downward-facing acanthus. The handles obscure, on one side, a large acanthus and, on the other, finer foliage. |
Dimensions |
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Object history | From the Salting bequest. |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | This mortar is made in ca. 1520-1560 in Italy, with the Veneto as the most precise place of origin that can be given at present. The form seems to have been developed from bell-shaped mortars. The object came to the museum through the Salting bequest. George Salting (b. 1836; d. 1909) - an Australian, who settled in England - was a prolific collector in a number of areas, including Chinese and Japanese ceramics and European art. By 1874 his collection had outgrown his residence in St. James's Street, prompting him to lend items to the South Kensington Museum. After his death in 1909, the majority of this astonishing collection passed to the V&A, where it was shown in its own galleries. |
Bibliographic reference | Motture, Peta. Bells & Mortars. Catalogue of the Italian Bronzes in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London, 2001, p. 128, cat. no. 29 |
Collection | |
Accession number | M.701-1910 |
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Record created | June 24, 2009 |
Record URL |
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