Name 1
MORTAR (SET)
Name 2
/
ID number
002.298.Idrija
Manager / Administrator
Idrija Municipal Museum, Prelovčeva 9, SI-5280 Idrija.
Ownership
Public
Owner
Municipality of Idrija, Mestni trg 1, SI-5280 Idrija
Local / Original ID Number
510:IDR;RZ-492
Type of Object
Mine, Smelting

Description

Short description
The set consists of a wooden stand for the mortar, the cast iron mortar and the pestle. The mortar has an irregular cylindrical shape. It is forged and very heavy. The top is a wider opening with a U-shaped edge. The pestle is round and has a thickened semicircular bottom part.
Measures
Mortar: Length 91.5 cm, width 91 cm, height 58.5 cm;
Pestle: length 110.8 cm, width 7.7 cm, height 7.7 cm.
Materials
Cast iron, wood.
Dating
The time of creation is unknown.
Author / Producer
Manufacturer information is not known.
Picture attachments
Original use
Cinnabar is mercury sulfide – HgS. This is a compound of divalent mercury and sulfur. The pestle and mortar were used mostly in the process of obtaining natural cinnabar. Very rich and clean cinnabar ore was first crushed into smaller pieces, which were then ground. Later, they used it in a process of synthetic obtaining of cinnabar. Cinnabar was obtained with mercury and sulfur synthesis under precisely determined conditions. It has a nice red colour with a wider range of shades. In Idrija, cinnabar was obtained from the beginning of mining until 1922, with an interruption between 1658 and 1782. During all that time, 8,800 tons of mercury was obtained, which is 6.6 % of the total amount of mercury obtained in Idrija.
Present use
The mortar is being preserved, secured and presented as important mining heritage of Idrija with exceptional universal values. It is a part of the mining collection of the Idrija Municipal Museum. It is stored in the depot and can be used for temporary museum exhibitions or for other types of mercury heritage promotions.
Original location
The Cinnabar Factory of the Idrija Mercury Mine.
Present location
Idrija Municipal Museum, Prelovčeva 2 depot.

STATE OF CONSERVATION

History of conservation:
The object is properly preserved. Additional interventions are not necessary. Security of the premises is taken care of.
Present state
good
Necessary activities:
Regular seasonal maintenance.

DOCUMENTATION

Addresses / collections / links etc. where further in-depth information is accessible:
- Inventory Book of the Idrija Municipal Museum;
- Kavčič, Ivica. Živo srebro: Zgodovina idrijskega žgalništva. Založba Bogataj, Idrija, 2008.
Submitted
Mestni muzej Idrija
Submitted by
Miha Kosmač
Date Submitted
13. 3. 2018
Date Edited
Never