Collecting - Antiques - Curiosity

Collecting  - Antiques - Curiosity

SHOP

Featured products

Have a look at our products, if you are interested and need more details contact us!

MEMENTO MORI MORTAR WITH SKULLS AND BONE-SHAPED PESTLE Bronze, 18th century
+22
+21
+20
+19
+18
+17
+16
+15
+14
+13
+12
+11
+10
+9
+8
+7
+6
+5
+4
+3
+2

MEMENTO MORI MORTAR WITH SKULLS AND BONE-SHAPED PESTLE Bronze, 18th century

Store / COLLECTING and CURIOSITY
€ 0,00
Sold
Sold
Product Details

Make your offer

🚚FREE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE

MEMENTO MORI MORTAR WITH SKULLS AND BONE-SHAPED PESTLE
Bronze, 18th century
An extraordinary object, in which the everyday function of an ancient mortar is combined with one of the most powerful and fascinating symbols in history: that of the memento mori.
Crafted in bronze and characterized by a deep and fascinating dark patina matured over time, this ancient mortar features two small skulls molded in relief on the sides, decorative elements of exceptional evocative power.
But it is the pestle that makes the ensemble truly unique: its long handle is shaped like a bone. 🦴
Skulls and bone thus interact, transforming an ancient tool intended for crushing and preparing substances into an object of absolutely extraordinary character.
The choice to use such an explicitly death-related symbol is certainly no coincidence. For centuries, the skull has represented one of the most powerful symbols of the transience of existence and the famous memento mori warning: the reminder of the fragility of life and the inevitability of death.
Applied to an object intended for the preparation and transformation of substances, this iconography lends the mortar a particular allure, immediately conjuring images of ancient apothecaries, pharmacopoeia, alchemy, and ancient preparations.
We are therefore not faced with a simple ancient mortar, but with an object in which function, material, and symbolism blend in an exceptionally evocative way. The dark bronze, the two skulls, and the bone-shaped pestle together create a powerful, almost theatrical image that seems to belong to an ancient cabinet of curiosities.
Possibly dating back to the 18th century, the mortar retains fascinating traces of time and use, with a patina that emphasizes its ancient and authentic character.
A striking and rare piece, destined for a collection dedicated to memento mori, the history of medicine and pharmacopoeia, alchemy, and cabinets of curiosities, but also an exceptional decorative object for those seeking the most unusual, mysterious, and fascinating antiques.


DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT


Mortar• Height: 12 cm• (4.7")

Maximum diameter: 13.7 cm (5.4")

Base diameter: 9.7 cm (3.8")

Pestle• Length: 20.5 cm (8.1")
Overall height with pestle inserted: approximately 19 cm (7.5")
Total weight of mortar and pestle: 3.650 kg

Show More
Save this product for later
Share this product with your friends
Pin it
MEMENTO MORI MORTAR WITH SKULLS AND BONE-SHAPED PESTLE Bronze, 18th century
Store / COLLECTING and CURIOSITY
Display prices in: EUR

We collaborate with international auction houses, industry colleagues and international fairs.

The decennial experience in the qualitative field in the commercial sector has allowed us to be among the first in the antiques sector to enter the web world at an international level, always trying to obtain the complete and maximum satisfaction of the final customer.

Find out more about us

Via Boccaccio 8/A, Ghedi 25016 (BS) - ItaLy

We are always looking for curious interesting objects to offer to our customers.

If you have items similar to those we sell and you want to offer them, contact us without obligation, send us photos and we will be happy to answer you and give you all the necessary information.

Contact us

News

Stay up to date on the latest news