Ca 1st - 2nd century A.D. Finely-rendered and well balanced, the rounded bowl with strong thick walls supported by tripod legs. Used in conjunction with a pestle to pound and grind a substance. The English "mortar" derives from classical Latin "mortarium", meaning, among several other usages, "receptacle for pounding" and "product of grinding or pounding". The classical Latin "pestillum" led to the English "pestle", meaning "pounder". The Roman poet Juvenal applied both "mortarium" and "pistillum" to articles used in the preparation of drugs, reflecting the early use of the mortar & pestle as a pharmacist's or apothecary's symbol. The antiquity of these tools is well documented in some early literature, such as the Egyptian "Papyrus Ebers" of c. 1550 B.C.E. (the oldest preserved medical literature piece) and the Old Testament (Numbers 11:8 and Proverbs 27:22). 4-1/2"H (11.5cm) x 8"W (20.3 cm).

PROVENANCE: Ex-private New York Collection acquired in the 1960s.

Intact and in very good condition overall, the interior of the bowl with heavy signs of use, a rare and very lovely example.