A rare Aachen mortar made for Wilhelm Wraner
Golden brown cast bronze with natural patina. Decorated throughout with numerous bands of horizontal moulding, both sides with shields flanked by coin reliefs to the lower sections below the inscription: "NIMANT TE HEELEN HELDT END BEVELT". The rim inscribed with the owner's name and dated in capital letters: "WILHELM WRANER GHENANT HVS ANNO DM 1580". Two minor casting faults to the rim, an X-shaped crack to the underside due to usage. H 16.7, D 19.4 cm. Weight c. 6.8 kg.
Aachen, von Trier workshop, attributed to Heirnich von Trier, 1580.
There is documentary evidence of a branch of the von Trier family in the Aachen area and later in the Netherlands; first names such as Peter, Johann or Heinrich appear here again and again. However, the relationship is only moderately comprehensible. We know that the von Trier family practiced the profession of bell-founders and therefore also cast mortars. There are few to no signatures on the mortars, so a safe attribution is still questionable. However, the shape, decorative elements and the high quality of the casting speak for a knowledgeable tradition.
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Literature
Illus. in: Koning, Nederlandse vijzels, Weert 1989, p. 103, illus. 147A.