Renaissance bronze mortar with a lizard

An image of Metalwork. Mortar with Lizard. Unknown maker, Venice. The mortar is of inverted bell-shape, standing on a low, moulded foot. On one side there is a handle in the shape of a lizard, whose tail curls round the mortar behind it. The lower part of the mortar is decorated with acanthus leaves, the tips of which extend over a filet running round the body. Above there is a band of scrolls, inverted anthemions and suspended fruits. The everted lip of the mortar is decorated with a series of mouldings. Bronze, cast, height, whole, 14.5 cm, diameter, base, 10.4 cm, diameter, lip, 15.5 cm, circa 1500-1530. Renaissance.

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Metalwork. Mortar with Lizard. Unknown maker, Venice. The mortar is of inverted bell-shape, standing on a low, moulded foot. On one side there is a handle in the shape of a lizard, whose tail curls round the mortar behind it. The lower part of the mortar is decorated with acanthus leaves, the tips of which extend over a filet running round the body. Above there is a band of scrolls, inverted anthemions and suspended fruits. The everted lip of the mortar is decorated with a series of mouldings. Bronze, cast, height, whole, 14.5 cm, diameter, base, 10.4 cm, diameter, lip, 15.5 cm, circa 1500-1530. Renaissance.

Image data

Accession Number: M.18-1979
Photograph copyright © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
Aperture: f/27.0
Focal length: 120
Camera: Hasselblad H3DII-31
Photographer name: Jaymes Sinclair
Image height: 1007 pixels
Image width: 1024 pixels
Processed with: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.6 (Macintosh)
Filesize: 182.09kB
Exposure time: 1/60
ISO Speed: 100
Fnumber: 27/1

Key words

16th Century Artistic Movement Date Department Fitz_AA Italian Material Nationalities Object Type Other Keywords Renaissance Venetian School Workflow _WF_AdOK _WF_KWD _WF_OPACtd _WF_PCtd acanthus amphibian bronze cast fruits handle handled lizards mortar moulded mouldings

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            The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024)
            "Renaissance bronze mortar with a lizard"
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