brass mortar and pestle

I was wondering if anyone knows anything about brass mortars and pestles. It looks like the mortar was cleaned awhile back. It is very heavy. Trying to figure out the age. Thanks]

 

Early 19th from the look of it.

 

Thanks

 

That looks bloody old. I'd say early 1800s too, or maybe late 1700s? The wear to the base speaks of centuries of use.

 

You can't fake that, or the pitting from countless times it's been held.

 

Thank you all for the information. I thought it was very old but was not sure.

 

I think its risky to date brass work based on wear, because the wear can vary a lot depending on how it was used. Mortars and pestles were tools that could be very heavily used. The design of this one looks just like that of skultuna & bruk (swedish) who made them into the 20th century. I would therefore date it to be more recent. See marked and unmarked ones at: https://www.bukowskis.com/en/lots/9...rtially-skultuna-bruk-19th-early-20th-century

 

Thank you. They do look similar.

 

Regardless of actual age, what O'ByBear says is true - you cannot fake all that wear and tear and battering. The build-up and the aging of the metal is something that only time can really do. The chipping, scraping, wearing down...if this was a reproduction of some kind, the "damage" (real or created) would look a lot 'crisper' and 'cleaner' than that - what you see there looks like it was dragged across a benchtop or something, many, many times.

 

I agree. It looks very old and used. Ive been looking at alot them online from the late 1700s and early 1800s and found some that look very close to what I have. I agree it's not a remake for sure and very old. Thanks again

 

No problem! It's a beautiful piece!

 

What @Shangas said. That weathering isn't considered or bashed at by some bloke. It has the look of years.

 

I think we're going to have to disagree on this one. I didn't say it was a recent reproduction or it was artificially aged. I'm suggesting turn of 20th century, which is when the ones I cited were dated to by Bukowski's. That is 100 plus years and plenty of time to acquire real honest wear like I see on the OP's. I don't see 200 years of design or age (late 17th, early 18th century) on the OP's, however.

 

Early 19th, not early 18th, OP said early 1800s, and I aagree. It's absolutely typical of the shape of Georgian ones I see here.

 

Sorry, yeah, I have to admit I still get that wrong, and always have to do the translation in my head. Why can't 18th century be 1800's, and 19th century be 1900's, etc - always seemed to me that would make it so much easier? OK, I know it's because year starts zero not 100, but I just can't get that fixed in my brain (duh). As for your various monarchs, victorian is the only one of those I know for sure, the rest send me to google. Anyway, you knew what I meant since I said 200 years old.

I spent a bit of time looking at museum collections to see whether I should change my mind. Based on that I still believe this to be late 1800's/early 1900's and not late 1700's/early 1800's. Its not that I'm dissing the OP's; I actually have a marked Skultuna #4 one just like it which is why I recognized the style; so I would be happy to claim mine as an earlier mortar than I believe it to be. OP's is simply too close to the Skultuna for me to place it any earlier than Bukowski's did.

Final thoughts: undecorated brass work is always hard to date. Decoration is exceedingly useful in dating any antique but especially in brass which doesn't age anywhere as noticeably as wood does. As The Brass Book by Schiffer states: "because the forms continued so long, dating mortars and pestles is very difficult. The early bronze ones with decoration are far easier".

 

Yes. I believe you are right. The ones I had seen online were probably someones guess at there age. I was looking up more and the turn of the century seems right. Thanks for all the information. .

 

What do you all think of the one. I never run across these , this makes the second one in two weeks. Found this one yesterday at a antique mall. It is 5" tall. There is a number 7 stamped on the bottom. It looks old. I was thinking around the turn of the century on this one also. What do you all think. Thanks.