The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Mortar

c. 1550–1560

workshop of Wenzel Jamnitzer I

(German, 1508/09–1585)

with plaquettes cast after models by Peter Flötner

(German, 1485–1546)
Germany
bronze
Overall: 12.4 x 14.6 cm (4 7/8 x 5 3/4 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1951.444
Location: 114 Late Northern Renaissance

Description

Three reliefs curiously combine faith, hope, and vanity. They were made after works by Peter Flötner (more refined plaquettes by the artist are also in the museum's collection), then incorporated into the vessel. The plants and small reptiles were cast from life, an example of the strong interest in natural history in Renaissance Nuremberg. This tradition relates closely to the French ceramics by Palissy, also in the collection, which likewise incorporate natural specimens.
  • Herbert N. Bier (London, England), sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1951.
  • Foote, Helen. "Goldsmith's Scales in Gilt-Bronze." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 41, no. 2 (February 1954): 26-28. Mentioned: p. 27 www.jstor.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 251 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 113 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 113 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 131 archive.org
  • {{cite web|title=Mortar|url=false|author=Wenzel Jamnitzer I, Peter Flötner|year=c. 1550–1560|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1951.444