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A bronze double ended pestle that is thicker at the ended and thinner in the middle.
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  • A bronze double ended pestle that is thicker at the ended and thinner in the middle.

Unknown Maker, Italian

Pestle
Now On View

Maker

Unknown Maker, Italian

Culture

Italian

Title

Pestle

Year

1500s

Medium

  • bronze

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • bronze

Materials

bronze

Dimensions

19.1 cm (7 1/2 inches) (length)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Bequest of Miss Ellen D. Sharpe

Object Number

54.147.21

Type

  • Metalwork

Exhibition History

Trading Earth
Ceramics, Commodities, and Commerce
Apr 09, 2022 – Aug 03, 2025

Label copy

Typically made from a plant’s root, bark, fruit, or seeds, spices can be used fresh or dried. They can be crushed or combined with other ingredients using a weighty pestle in a mortar, ground into a powder, or in the case of nutmeg’s hard seed, grated with a specialized tool. Containers for storing spices were designed to be airtight and secure, like the multi-compartment silver box from India, the world’s largest producer, exporter, and consumer of spices.

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Italian
Pestle, 1500s
Bronze
19.1 cm (7 1/2 inches) (length)
Bequest of Miss Ellen D. Sharpe 54.147.21

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