12th-13th century
This mortar is decorated with incised Kufic benedictory inscriptions and geometric decoration. The crescents on the rim were probably originally inlaid with silver. Mortars had a wide variety of uses, including the pounding of herbs and spices for cooking or medicinal purposes and the pounding of various other materials for artisans and alchemists. This mortar was cast and is composed of a leaded brass alloy, a typical method of manufacture. Leaded alloys had the advantages of being cheap, easy to cast, heavy and stable. Disadvantages included a susceptibility to damage through repeated use (as seen here in the bulging base), and more seriously, lead poisoning, particularly if an acidic substance were pounded in the mortar. Notes from the Glory and Prosperity exhibition, Feb - June 2002.
13 x 17 cm (5 1/8 x 6 11/16 in.)
Bronze and Human skull with red pigment
19th centuryTibetanEnameled blue-and-white ware: porcelain with decoration in underglaze cobalt blue, the background areas embellished later with overglaze red enamel; underglaze cobalt blue mark reading "Zhengde nian zhi" within a double circle on the base
16th centuryChineseChangsha ware: light gray stoneware with three molded appliqué decorative elements, the ewer coated with olive-toned celadon glaze over a thin coat of white slip, the appliqué elements further splashed with caramel glaze. From the kilns at Tongguan, Changsha, Hunan province.
9th centuryChineseGray stoneware with cold-painted decoration over white gesso ground
7th-8th centuryChineseTerracotta
5th century BCEGreekGilt silver
16th centuryGermanTerracotta
6th century BCEGreekSilver
18th centuryBritishJian ware: dark gray stoneware with dark brown glaze, the markings in iron oxide. Recovered from the kilns at Shuiji, Jianyang county, Fujian province
12th-13th centuryChineseGray earthenware
2nd millennium BCEChineseBlue ware: porcelain with clear glaze over incised characters, the inscribed vessel washed with cobalt-blue before glazing. From the kilns at Punwŏn-ri, Kwangju-gun, Kyŏnggi province.
19th centuryKoreanHard-paste porcelain decorated with polychrome enamels and gold
18th centuryGerman