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A solid marble mortar, dating to the 17th century, likely from the Po Valley area (Veneto/Lombardy).

The compact dimensions (12.5 cm high, 16.5 cm in diameter), combined with the 2.1 kg weight and the hardness of the marble, indicate its use as a personal workbench, intended for the preparation of small quantities of compounds, powders, and medications that required precision, control, and attention: a typical tool found on the countertops of 17th-century apothecaries or pharmacies.

The shape, with a flared base and a deep, thick-walled basin, is consistent with professional laboratory use rather than domestic use.

The element of exceptional interest is the iconographic cycle carved along the outer edge: four alternating masks depicting two skulls (memento mori), a bearded face of wisdom, and a grotesque face with a protruding tongue.

This sequence is not decorative, but symbolic and perfectly consistent with the medical and alchemical culture of the 17th century, where the act of grinding represented the transformation of matter into a remedy capable of countering disease and, symbolically, death.

An object of great historical and cultural fascination, a rare example of a marble mortar with such a coherent and meaningful iconographic program.

Good condition, with natural patina and signs of wear and tear.