Netherlandish, circa 1546 | Pays-Bas, vers 1546

The shape, decorative bands, the square handles with pointed edges, and wide upper lip of the mortar indicate a Northern European origin. The design and form of the mortar compare closely to bronze mortars made in the Netherlands, including a 16th century example in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London with a similarly coloured patina and shape (inv. no. 2176-1855). The upper ridge of the vessel is inscribed with ANNA DOEMINI M V 1546, which is a misspelling of the Latin expression Anno Domini, indicating the year of execution. This error in spelling further supports a Netherlandish origin, as Italian artists were more common with Latin expressions.

The upper part of the mortar is beautifully adorned with floral motives, inspired by Renaissance architectural decorations. This type of floral design appears regularly in Dutch mortars, including several examples in the Rijksmuseum Boerhaave (inv. nos. V34550 and V34847) and in the Stedelijk Museum Zutphen (inv. no. V 01668 ). The lower band is adorned with detailed battle scenes, derived from the composition of the engraving Raptus Helenae (The Abduction of Helen) by the German artist Barthel Beham (1502-1540). A print of this scene is in the British Museum (inv. no. 1862,0712.611).

RELATED LITERATURE/ REFERENCES BIBLIOGRAPHIQUES

D.A. Wittop Koning, Nederlandse vijzels, Utrecht, 1989