Lot 573 Dα

An Utrecht mortar with a grotesque frieze

Thick cast bronze with shimmering honey-coloured patina. Of tapering form with a wide base and protruding moulded rim. With a band of horizontal moulding to the centre, above it a garland and below it a frieze of dancing grotesques, men, women and dogs. With a banderole inscribed in capital letters around the rim: "AERT VAN LEWEN 1581". Significant wear to the decor, minor discoloration to the interior. H 14.1, D 15.9 cm. Weight c. 5.1 kg.
Attributed to Thomas Both, 1581.