Mortar
1465 (dated)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This mortar is attributed to the workshop of Guidoccio di Francesco da Fabriano.
The inscriptions on the mortar announce that the mortar was made (or commissioned) in Fabriano on 16 August 1465 by Giovanni de Pancioni, whose arms are doubtless those on the mortar. According to the inscription, Pancioni was the physician of Cardinal Orsini, the papal legate to the region around Piceno. Latino Orsini was appointed cardinal on 20 December 1448 by Pope Nicholas V. A precise dating of a mortar is unusual, and may therefore have been significant.
The inscriptions on the mortar announce that the mortar was made (or commissioned) in Fabriano on 16 August 1465 by Giovanni de Pancioni, whose arms are doubtless those on the mortar. According to the inscription, Pancioni was the physician of Cardinal Orsini, the papal legate to the region around Piceno. Latino Orsini was appointed cardinal on 20 December 1448 by Pope Nicholas V. A precise dating of a mortar is unusual, and may therefore have been significant.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Leaded bronze |
| Brief description | Mortar, bronze, attributed to the workshop of Guidoccio di Francesco da Fabriano, Italy (Fabriano), 16th of August 1465 |
| Physical description | Cylindrical mortar with recessed lip and foliate handle terminating in a pine cone. Around the rim an inscription. On the body six rocketed, trefoil ogee arches springing from the mouths of confronted dog-like beast heads (or snakes), which form the capitals of projecting spiral columns, themselves actually the intertwined (hairy) necks of the beasts emanating from the bases of the columns. Beneath three arches are coats of arms, alternating with two flowering plants, the sixth arch framing and cut by the handle. Within the spandrels are medallions containing alternately the same shield of arms, simplified and with an illegible inscription around it, and the profile head of a warrior. Around the foot in relief, an inscription (legend). |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Object history | From the Salting bequest. |
| Historical context | This mortar is attributed to the workshop of Guidoccio di Francesco da Fabriano. The inscriptions on the mortar announce that the mortar was made (or commissioned) in Fabriano on 16 August 1465 by Giovanni de Pancioni, whose arms are doubtless those on the mortar. According to the inscription, Pancioni was the physician of Cardinal Orsini, the papal legate to the region around Piceno. Latino Orsini was appointed cardinal on 20 December 1448 by Pope Nicholas V. A precise dating of a mortar is unusual, and may therefore have been significant. |
| Production | dated 16 August 1465 |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This mortar is attributed to the workshop of Guidoccio di Francesco da Fabriano. The inscriptions on the mortar announce that the mortar was made (or commissioned) in Fabriano on 16 August 1465 by Giovanni de Pancioni, whose arms are doubtless those on the mortar. According to the inscription, Pancioni was the physician of Cardinal Orsini, the papal legate to the region around Piceno. Latino Orsini was appointed cardinal on 20 December 1448 by Pope Nicholas V. A precise dating of a mortar is unusual, and may therefore have been significant. |
| Bibliographic reference | Motture, Peta. Bells & Mortars. Catalogue of the Italian Bronzes in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London, 2001, pp. 72-73, cat. no. 4 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.684-1910 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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