Pestle Collection

The Hut of Baba Yaga
The Baba Yaga chases the girl in a pestle

The Chemist 1827
A chemist with his apprentice in his laboratory. A copper alembic is on his left, to the right a sand heat and a furnace is in the middle. Date: 1827

The Blackville Medical Man. Yes, dis is a clear case of Difflomania. Wood engraving, American, c1880
SOUTH: ROOT DOCTOR. The Blackville Medical Man. " Yes, dis is a clear case of Difflomania. " Wood engraving, American, c1880

Set of Utensils for the Tea Ceremony, 19th century. Creator: Kubo Shunman
Set of Utensils for the Tea Ceremony, 19th century

SILENT STILL: LABORATORIES. Warner Baxter as Dr. Samuel Mudd, The Prisoner of Shark Island, 1936

C16 CHEMISTs SHOP
MEDICINES WHILE YOU WAIT: a druggist of the 16th century prepares a medicament, pounding the ingredients with pestle and mortar while two customers wait with their dog. Date: circa 1570

A woodblock engraving depicting hands using a pestle and mortar, 18th century
5310980 A woodblock engraving depicting hands using a pestle and mortar, 18th century; (add.info.: Date: 1795); Universal History Archive/UIG.

Apothecary in his shop using a mortar and pestle to prepare a medicine. Handcoloured woodcut engraving from The Book of
FLO4577808 Apothecary in his shop using a mortar and pestle to prepare a medicine. Handcoloured woodcut engraving from The Book of English Trades and Library of the Useful Arts.; (add.info)

Chinese paper-making, second process: workers mixing glue from the hao-teng vine while another pounds farina of rice in
FLO4590201 Chinese paper-making, second process: workers mixing glue from the hao-teng vine while another pounds farina of rice in a pestle and mortar

The Druggist, using pestle and mortar to grind ingredients. By Jost Amman, 16th century (woodcut)
538125 The Druggist, using pestle and mortar to grind ingredients. By Jost Amman, 16th century (woodcut); Universal History Archive/UIG.

French grocer and druggist. 16th century (print)
538128 French grocer and druggist. 16th century (print); (add.info.: In foreground a boy uses pestle and mortar to grind ingredients)

The Shors demonstrate the main tools for cultivating the land (hoe - "abyl", harrow) and..., 1913
The Shors demonstrate the main tools for cultivating the land (hoe - "abyl", harrow) and grain (hand winnower, mortar, millstone), 1913

Still Life with Kitchen Utensils and Vegetables, 1734. Creator: Jean-Simeon Chardin
Still Life with Kitchen Utensils and Vegetables, 1734

Lazarus and the Rich Man, 1544-1700. Creator: Jacopo Bassano (copy after)
Lazarus and the Rich Man, 1544-1700

Nature morte au chaudron de cuivre, c.1735. Creator: Jean-Simeon Chardin
Nature morte au chaudron de cuivre, c.1735. Still life with copper pot

Sierra Leone, West Africa - Husking of Rice pestle & mortar
Sierra Leone, West Africa - The husking of rice using a pestle and mortar - common traditional domestic scene of food preparation. Date: circa 1910s

Europe, Italy. Liguria. Preparing genovese pesto during a cooking course

Italy. Liguria. Genova district. Genova, Genoa. Pesto alla Genovese

Detail of the Pharmacy at Saint-John's Hospital (oil on panel)
490165 Detail of the Pharmacy at Saint-John's Hospital (oil on panel) by Bree, Philipe Jacques van (1786-1871); Groeningemuseum, Bruges

The Pharmacy at Saint-John's Hospital (oil on panel)
490163 The Pharmacy at Saint-John's Hospital (oil on panel) by Bree, Philipe Jacques van (1786-1871); 90x110 cm; Groeningemuseum, Bruges, Belgium; © Art in Flanders

The Flying Tea Ceremony Kettle (Tonda Chagama), c. 1770. Creator: Ippitsusai Buncho
The Flying Tea Ceremony Kettle (Tonda Chagama), c. 1770

Act Six: Yoichibei's House from the play Chushingura (Treasury of Loyal Retainers), Japan, c. 1779/80

Washing Cloth in a Stream, c. 1797. Creator: Utagawa Toyokuni I
Washing Cloth in a Stream, c. 1797

Pestle and Mortar, c. 1938. Creator: John Swientochowski
Pestle and Mortar, c. 1938

Grape Crusher, 1939. Creator: Clarence Secor
Grape Crusher, 1939

Mortar and Pestle, c. 1938. Creator: Ralph Morton
Mortar and Pestle, c. 1938

Pestle, 1938. Creator: Alfonso Moreno
Pestle, 1938

Mortar and Pestle, 1935 / 1942. Creator: Janet Riza
Mortar and Pestle, 1935/1942

Mortar and Pestle, c. 1941. Creator: Ursula Lauderdale
Mortar and Pestle, c. 1941

The Alchemists Workshop, 1570 (oil on slate)
BEN82538 The Alchemists Workshop, 1570 (oil on slate) by Straet, Jan van der (Joannes Stradanus) (1523-1605); Palazzo Vecchio (Palazzo della Signoria) Florence

Ms. Lat. 14023 fol. 769 v. Antidote teaching from Canon of Medicine
CHT164186 Ms. Lat. 14023 fol. 769 v. Antidote teaching from Canon of Medicine by Avicenna (Ibn Sina) (980-1037), translated by Gerard de Cremone (1114-87) c.1320 (vellum) by French School

Saddle quern with grinding stone, from a farm at Mingies Ditch, Oxfordshire
AMQ185032 Saddle quern with grinding stone, from a farm at Mingies Ditch, Oxfordshire, Iron Age (stone) by Iron Age; Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford, UK; eAshmolean Museum; out of copyright

The pounding of the corn; Spanish American Scene (oil on panel)
MGS225686 The pounding of the corn; Spanish American Scene (oil on panel) by Palliere, Jean-Leon (1823-87); 64.8x53.5 cm; Private Collection; (add.info)

A bakers kitchen and equipment, from the Encyclopedie des Sciences et
STC243961 A bakers kitchen and equipment, from the Encyclopedie des Sciences et Metiers by Denis Diderot (1713-84) published c.1770 (engraving) by French School

Giant puffball, common puffball and pestle puffball
Giant puffball, Calvatia gigantea (Lycoperdon giganteum), common puffball, Lycoperdon gemmatum, and pestle puffball, Handkea excipuliformis (Lycoperdon saccatum)

Domestic occupations of the Chamorro women of Agana (Hagatna), Guam, 19th century. Women preparing yams, grilling food, using a mortar and pestle, etc

Grounding medicine (litho)
779987 Grounding medicine (litho) by Leech, John (1817-64); Private Collection; The Stapleton Collection; English, out of copyright

An Apothecary (colour engraving)
CHT164202 An Apothecary (colour engraving) by French School, (18th century); Ordre National des Pharmaciens, Paris, France; eArchives Charmet; French, out of copyright

Apothecary in his shop using a mortar and pestle to prepare a medicine. Handcoloured woodcut engraving from The Book of English Trades and Library of the Useful Arts, Tabart, London, 1810

Still Life of Kitchen Utensils, c. 1733-34 (oil on canvas)
1216858 Still Life of Kitchen Utensils, c.1733-34 (oil on canvas) by Chardin, Jean-Baptiste Simeon (1699-1779); 32.5x40.3 cm; Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford, UK; eAshmolean Museum; French

A cup of coffee on the heights of Subeibeh (engraving)
2774966 A cup of coffee on the heights of Subeibeh (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: A cup of coffee on the heights of Subeibeh)

Examination of an apothecary, early 18th century (oil)
CHT163038 Examination of an apothecary, early 18th century (oil) by French School, (18th century); Faculte de Pharmacie, Paris, France; eArchives Charmet; French, out of copyright

Kitchen Utensils with Leeks, Fish, and Eggs, c. 1734 (oil on canvas)
499954 Kitchen Utensils with Leeks, Fish, and Eggs, c.1734 (oil on canvas) by Chardin, Jean-Baptiste Simeon (1699-1779); 52.5x60.5 (framed) 32.2x40.7 (unframed) cm; Cleveland Museum of Art, OH

The Hemlock, from Les Fleurs Animees, engraved by Charles Goeffroy (1819-82)
CHT163280 The Hemlock, from Les Fleurs Animees, engraved by Charles Goeffroy (1819-82), 1847 (colour engraving) by Grandville (Jean Ignace Isidore Gerard) (1803-47) (after)

A copper saucepan, a pestle and mortar, a pitcher, a scallion
5934387 A copper saucepan, a pestle and mortar, a pitcher, a scallion, eggs and an onion on a shelf (oil on canvas) by Chardin

Fra Angelico (engraving)
812736 Fra Angelico (engraving) by Graham, Peter (1836-1921); Private Collection; (add.info.: Fra Angelico (c 1395-1455), Early Italian Renaissance painter.); Look and Learn / Elgar Collection

Children cooking (chromolitho)
961295 Children cooking (chromolitho) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Children cooking. Humorous 19th century illustration.); © Look and Learn

A Medieval Kitchen (woodcut) (b / w photo)
XJF138674 A Medieval Kitchen (woodcut) (b/w photo) by Italian School, (16th century); Private Collection; Italian, out of copyright

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"Pestle: Uniting Cultures, Traditions, and Remedies" Step into the mystical world of Baba Yaga's Hut, where ancient potions are brewed in a pestle. This enchanting tool has transcended time and continents, leaving its mark on history. In 1827, The Chemist introduced the pestle as an essential instrument for grinding herbs and creating powerful concoctions. Its significance grew even further when The Blackville Medical Man diagnosed Difflomania with the help of this trusty companion. Travel back to the 19th century tea ceremonies with Kubo Shunman's Set of Utensils for the Tea Ceremony. Amongst delicate teacups and serene surroundings, a pestle stands tall as it grinds tea leaves into perfection. Silent stillness engulfs laboratories like that portrayed by Warner Baxter in The Prisoner of Shark Island (1936). Dr. Samuel Mudd relies on his pestle to mix life-saving medicines amidst chaos. Venture into a C16 Chemist's Shop where shelves overflow with mysterious ingredients waiting to be transformed by skilled hands wielding a pestle, and is here that alchemy becomes reality. From Chennai to Guam, Sierra Leone to Italy's Liguria region - witness diverse cultures united by their use of the mortar and large pestles. Whether pounding rice or preparing Genovese Pesto during cooking courses, these communities embrace this timeless tool as an integral part of their culinary traditions. Even within art itself, we find evidence of its importance. In Saint-John's Hospital Pharmacy painting, every brushstroke captures the essence of healing through meticulously ground remedies using a trusty wooden pestle. The story behind each stroke is etched deep within history - from ancient rituals performed by Chamorro people in Guam to bustling markets in West Africa where husking rice requires skillful handling of mortar and pestles.