220 - Mortar;

Mortar; Cast iron. Measurements: 36 x 42 x 33 cm. Provenance: Estate of Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló. Artistic and heritage collection originating in the legacy of Catalan painters Ramon Martí Alsina (1826–1894), a seminal figure of 19th-century Catalan Realism, and his son Ricard Martí Aguiló (1857–1935). Passed down and enriched across successive generations, the collection brings together works from the original holdings of both artists alongside acquisitions made by their descendants. Dedicated to preserving and recovering the family legacy, the descendants actively reacquired works by the painters as they entered the market, progressively expanding the collection to encompass paintings, sculptures, archaeological artifacts, and other items of artistic and historical significance. The bowl is decorated with two smooth, raised bands and features a wide, open rim. Its only decoration consists of two protruding moldings that make it easier to carry. The handle, meanwhile, is cylindrical, widening toward the base, with smooth moldings as its sole decoration, given its functional nature. Old cookbooks contain a large number of recipes based on the use of the mortar, a utensil that, although rarely used today, was once so versatile that every kitchen had a wide variety of them—from the largest, used for pounding meat and vegetables, to the smallest, used for grinding spices.