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<p>[QUOTE="Brazier, post: 213187, member: 4073"]Hey there! </p><p><br /></p><p>So one of the things I collect is mortars and pestles, preferably brass or bronze, but I do have an old iron mortar aswell. </p><p><br /></p><p>I picked up this lovely bronze mortar from a flea market a few months ago, and I absolutely adore it. In fact, this was the first mortar I bought, and I've been collecting them since.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]62585[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>I have to admit though, I have a difficulty in determining whether this is a genuine antique or a newer replica. </p><p><br /></p><p>First things first: The patina looks slighty.. well off. (I think?) I usually thought patina would be more or less ''even'' and not with ''shiny'' spots all around. Though I admit, I've seen other genuine bronze mortars and even sculptures with this sort of patina. So I'm not quite sure.</p><p><br /></p><p>Second, there are these ''lines'' on the base, the pestle (you can see the base in the first picture) and the top rim. I have no idea what they are, but I've never seen anything like it. I've tried to do some research, and it seems like some antique bronze mortars have them while others do not.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]62588[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Here's the pestle, with those same lines:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]62590[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>And third, the bottom. There seems to be one or more outlines of screws in the bottom, on the inside. They can't be seen or felt on the outside, but you can definitely see it here: (Just in case you don't notice them - it's the two ''holes'' near the sides).</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]62589[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Again I've never seen anything like it on a bronze mortar, let alone a brass mortar. No idea if they actually are screws, but they sure look like them.</p><p><br /></p><p>And for last, here's the bottom of the mortar:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]62591[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Now don't get me wrong, it looks and feels OLD. It's very heavy. It's not magnetic, and it even has that distinct bronze ringing sound when flicking it with my finger. (compared to the dull brass sound of my other mortars) In fact, my first thought when I picked it up from the flea market was ''This almost belongs in a museum!'' </p><p><br /></p><p>Doing some online research, I only found this particular mortar once - on a spanish, I think, auction site. Sadly I couldn't see the price or any details. On the other hand, I watched a danish antiques show a few months ago, and while the dealers were visiting a dutch antique mall, this, or what looked like this mortar, was on display in one of the cases. Sadly, the first thing they said when passing the display case was ''There are alot of fakes here'' and then moved on. So that just makes me even more suspicious.</p><p><br /></p><p>The pestle also seem to be way to small for this mortar.</p><p><br /></p><p>So what are your thoughts? Could this be a genuine bronze mortar from the 16-17th (perhaps later) century? Or just a pretty 'modern' replica?</p><p><br /></p><p>I apologize if any of this is common knowledge, but I am completely dumbfounded by this. I obviously want it to be genuine, that would be incredibly awesome to put it mildly, but I know how good replicas can be. </p><p><br /></p><p>Hoping you can help me out here! Thanks for reading.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Brazier, post: 213187, member: 4073"]Hey there! So one of the things I collect is mortars and pestles, preferably brass or bronze, but I do have an old iron mortar aswell. I picked up this lovely bronze mortar from a flea market a few months ago, and I absolutely adore it. In fact, this was the first mortar I bought, and I've been collecting them since. [ATTACH=full]62585[/ATTACH] I have to admit though, I have a difficulty in determining whether this is a genuine antique or a newer replica. First things first: The patina looks slighty.. well off. (I think?) I usually thought patina would be more or less ''even'' and not with ''shiny'' spots all around. Though I admit, I've seen other genuine bronze mortars and even sculptures with this sort of patina. So I'm not quite sure. Second, there are these ''lines'' on the base, the pestle (you can see the base in the first picture) and the top rim. I have no idea what they are, but I've never seen anything like it. I've tried to do some research, and it seems like some antique bronze mortars have them while others do not. [ATTACH=full]62588[/ATTACH] Here's the pestle, with those same lines: [ATTACH=full]62590[/ATTACH] And third, the bottom. There seems to be one or more outlines of screws in the bottom, on the inside. They can't be seen or felt on the outside, but you can definitely see it here: (Just in case you don't notice them - it's the two ''holes'' near the sides). [ATTACH=full]62589[/ATTACH] Again I've never seen anything like it on a bronze mortar, let alone a brass mortar. No idea if they actually are screws, but they sure look like them. And for last, here's the bottom of the mortar: [ATTACH=full]62591[/ATTACH] Now don't get me wrong, it looks and feels OLD. It's very heavy. It's not magnetic, and it even has that distinct bronze ringing sound when flicking it with my finger. (compared to the dull brass sound of my other mortars) In fact, my first thought when I picked it up from the flea market was ''This almost belongs in a museum!'' Doing some online research, I only found this particular mortar once - on a spanish, I think, auction site. Sadly I couldn't see the price or any details. On the other hand, I watched a danish antiques show a few months ago, and while the dealers were visiting a dutch antique mall, this, or what looked like this mortar, was on display in one of the cases. Sadly, the first thing they said when passing the display case was ''There are alot of fakes here'' and then moved on. So that just makes me even more suspicious. The pestle also seem to be way to small for this mortar. So what are your thoughts? Could this be a genuine bronze mortar from the 16-17th (perhaps later) century? Or just a pretty 'modern' replica? I apologize if any of this is common knowledge, but I am completely dumbfounded by this. I obviously want it to be genuine, that would be incredibly awesome to put it mildly, but I know how good replicas can be. Hoping you can help me out here! Thanks for reading.[/QUOTE]
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