Renaissance Mortar
Ludwig Enndorffer, signed
Innsbruck, dated 1535
Bronze
Inscription “LUDWIG ENNDORFFER GOS MICH 1535”
Height 20 cm
Upper diameter 19.5 cm
Length of pestle 29.5 cm
This Renaissance mortar stands out through its fish-shaped handle and the bowl’s elegant form and proportion. The inscription circumscribing the base reads: “LUDWIG ENNDORFFER GOS MICH 1535“ (“Ludwig Enndorffer cast me”). Ludwig Enndorffer, also spelled Endorfer, descends from a family of founders based in Innsbruck who had been working since the beginning of the 16th century for the Archduke of Tyrol, the King of Bohemia and Hungary as well as for the Emperor. Ludwig Enndorfer is known to have been active between 1536 and 1559 in Innsbruck. After his father Alexander Enndorffer died in 1541, he took over his charge as canon founder of King Ferdinand of Hungary, who became Emperor under the name Ferdinand I. Ludwig Enndorffer executed several mortars with the same inscription and handle. Two comparable pieces dated 1536 and 1539 are on display at the Ferdinandeum in Innsbruck. The discussed artwork is important in view of the fact that it is the earliest known mortar by Ludwig Enndorfer. In terms of typology, the artist reused a model from his father’s workshop. Indeed, it is very similar to the mortar signed by Alexander Enndorffer that is kept in the Rijksmuseum (inv. no. BK-1969-26); however, Ludwig’s mortar is more refined in shape thanks to the slightly more everted rim.