Mortar. Spain, 18th century.

Mortar. Spain, XVIII century.
Bronze.
With mace.
With marks of use and wear.
Measurements: 7,5 x 12,5 x 12,5 cm. (mortar); 18 cm. long (mallet).
Mortar made of bronze, dated to the late-baroque period. The typology with protruding moldings, called "ribbed", is combined with the representation of lion masks. In ancient recipe books there are a large number of recipes based on the use of the mortar, a tool that although today is hardly used, in the past it was so varied in its use that every kitchen had a great variety of them, from the biggest ones to grind meats and vegetables to the smallest ones to grind spices. Already in antiquity there were large mortars, made of bronze to grind and mix marble or lime, which were used to make construction binders or plasters, such as stucco. The Roman poet Juvenal mentioned it in articles for the preparation of drugs, reflecting the early use of this instrument in apothecaries. The antiquity of mortars is also well documented in some works of ancient literature, such as the Egyptian Ebers Papyrus, which dates from 1550 BC and is considered one of the oldest documents on medicine in Ancient Egypt. It is also mentioned in the Old Testament.