A rare Aachen mortar dated 1558
Cast bronze with fine golden brown patina. With numerous bands of horizontal moulding, the lower section with a house mark in a shield between two bands inscribed in capital letters "KRVIT NOCH PLASTER EN GENEST MER", "DIN WOERT HEER SAPIE I 6" (?), "1558". The handles formed as finely sculpted dolphins. H 12.8, D 13.2 cm. Weight c. 3.2 kg.
Aachen, von Trier workshop, attributed to Heinrich von Trier, 1558.
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 or 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
Cf. Koning, Nederlandse vijzels, Weert 1989, p. 103.
A mortar of similar form and decor can be found in the collection of Ralf and Homi Jena, illus. in cat.: Kräuter, Mörser, Pillendreher, Die Sammlung Jena zu Gast im Hause Monheim, Aachen 2018, p. 83, no. 15.