Mortaio Giuseppe Alessandrini, Milan (Italy), 1823

Mortar completely made of bronze for "ALESSANDRINI GIUSEPPE FARMACISTA" in 1823, who had his own pharmacy located in Milan, Corso di Porta Tosa 42.

At a young age, this renowned pharmacist had his first medical experiences as a Senior Adjutant and is listed in a very rare book, relating to the Italian Cisalpine Militia, preserved in the National Library of Vienna (Austria).

The mortar is richly decorated with festoons and cherubs and still has its original wrought iron "pestle".

Of extreme importance and beauty are the handles useful for gripping, made in a single fusion with the mortar, depicting two "Moorish heads".

This particular type of bronze mortar, made with the lost wax casting technique, was intended for pharmaceutical use.

In fact, inside them various raw materials were chopped and triturated with special bronze or wooden pestles until they were reduced to powder and then used, mixed with others or alone for pharmaceutical purposes.

Its dimensions are:

Height: 30cm

Width at the handles: 40 cm

Mouth diameter: 29.5 cm

Base diameter 23 cm

Original untouched period patina.

Reference Bibliography:

Giorgio Lise, “Ancient pharmacy mortars”, 1975 Silvana editorial art, Milan.

Ulrich Middeldorf, “Fifty Mortars 15th -18th Century”, 1981 Florence.