Mortar
Wenzel Jamnitzer I (German, 1508/09–1585)
c. 1550–1560
Medium
bronze
Dimensions
12.4 × 14.6 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
European Painting and Sculpture
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1951.444
Tags
male
About this artwork
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.