Mortar
Category
Wooden objects
Date
circa 1690 - 1710
Materials
Lignum vitae
Measurements
29 cm (Height); 27 cm (Diameter)
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Bateman's, East Sussex
NT 761706
Summary
A turned lignum vitae mortar, English, circa 1690-1710. Of baluster form and with sloping footrim. -- This mortar was referred to by the Kiplings as the 'holly bowl'. It is a fine and large example of its type, and its rim is struck six times with the initials 'RW', probably the initials of the mortar's owner, rather than its maker. Lignum vitae is an incredibly dense wood which was used in early modern England for a variety of vessels and utensils since - unlike other timbers - it does not absorb liquids.
Provenance
Bequeathed by Caroline Starr Balestier, Mrs Rudyard Kipling (1862-1939) with Bateman’s and its contents. Listed among the contents of the Hall at Bateman's in the inventory taken there in 1939.
Marks and inscriptions
Top or rim: RW