Brass pestles and mortars

I picked these three up today. Various sizes and shapes. I know very little about them and would be grateful if someone could tell me any information about their age and origin. The largest one weighs 3.4kg.
Two are brass but not sure about the other as it doesn't resonate much.

 

they do have an older look.....specially the last one..

 

The last one is the one that doesn't resonate so much. It looks like a cupric alloy but doesn't ring like brass. Not sure if it's a different metal or if it's been battered so much its structure has broken down.

 

They are all antique, but I can't tell you much more. @Shangas can, this is one of his specialties.

Meanwhile, could you post photos of the insides?

 

Wow all antique. Nice find! Maybe part of a collection?

 

Thanks for the info. Yeah can do. Just making a brew...

 

I'd say so. All together in a charity shop.

 

Here we go. In the same order as above...

 

They all look like brass to me.

Brass mortars like these were often used in pharmacies, apothecaries and laboratories for grinding ingredients and crushing up samples. The brass didn't rust, which means there was no chance of contaminants (iron filings, etc) ending up in the brew.

On top of that, brass didn't spark, which was important when you might be grinding up stuff that was flammable or combustible.

On top of that, they didn't risk shattering or cracking like a stoneware one might, if you were an absolute dunce and knocked one (somehow - as you say - they're not exactly light!) off a table.

For the most part, mortars of this style were popular in the 1700s and 1800s, with the cutesy, bulbous pestles and the elegant lines carved into the sides for decoration. The curves and bumps in the pestle made them more ergonomic to grip and hold when you're pounding and grinding all day long.

To ensure a smooth, clean finish, they were almost all handmade and lathe-spun. Basically you'd dump a cylindrical block of brass or bronze on a lathe, start cranking or pumping, and then you'd carve out the shape of the mortar and cut in those decorative lines and rings using various chisels. It was the easiest way to produce a smooth finish.

If you look closely, you'll see the marks of the lathe on the mortars and pestles. They're especially obvious in the second and third ones. See the tiny circular indents or rings left in the middles? That's where the round blank would've been screwed or hammered into the lathe chuck before being mounted onto the machine and spun. That's how you can tell how it was made.

 

Thanks for the insight