Lot 858:
Sold for £1,900 hammer
Estimate £1,500-£2,000
A large 1679 bronze mortar by Samuel Smith of York (fl. 1672-1709), a band beneath the rim cast with the words 'WILLIAM METCALFE MERCER IN YORK 1679' and various floral motifs, the waist with a wide band of bells, foliage and cartouches, the latter cast 'SS Ebor', diameter 32cm x height 26cm.
Footnote:
'English Decorated Bronze Mortars & their Makers' by M Finlay (p155) described Samuel Smith as the son of Abraham Smith (fl. 1652-1662) the most important post-Reformation founder in York. Samuel was also a bell-founder, became a freeman of the City in 1672, and died in 1709. He produced some 256 recorded bells. His mortars often resemble each other closely, with the names of an owner incorporated in a band beneath the rim, and his maker's mark repeated in a band at the mortar's waist.
Condition report
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