Mortar

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.