COSMETIC PESTLE

A lead artefact of probable Roman date. This piece has been identified by Ralph Jackson as being a possible model for a cosmetic pestle which may subsequently have been adapted into a phallic pendant. The artefact has been cast in one piece. The stem is bow-shaped, curving upwards at each end and is lozengiform in section. It tapers towards the distal end, where a bulbous terminal has been created by hammering back the point of the original pestle. At the opposite end the thickness of the stem tapers into an end-loop which angles upwards and has a sub-oval aperture. On the underside, at the junction between the loop and the stem, an angled notch has been created. A second notch, located mid way along the rod, may be the result of accidental damage. The artefact is poorly cast and the surfaces heavily corroded. It measures 62.9mm long, 20.3mm high and 12.3mm wide. The weight is 49.99g. Cosmetic sets comprising a rod-like pestle and a bow-shaped mortar are discussed by Jackson (1985: 165-192). They are generally considered to date from the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. The vast majority of known examples are made of copper-alloy. A lead model for a mortar was found in excavations in Skipton Street, London (see Jackson 1993: 165-169). It is suggested by Jackson (pers. comm. 2010) that such models may have been used for producing 'lost lead' moulds, in which clay would be modelled around a lead former and then melted out during the firing process. Many of the end-looped mortars illustrated by Jackson (1985: 177, fig. 5) have a loop in the form of a bird's head and neck. It is suggested that the notch on the underside of this example may represent an attempt to delineate the front edge of a beak. The reason behind Jackson's belief that the foreshortening was a later alteration lies in the fact that it has created a pestle which is too short to be of practical use. In addition, the effect of the terminal is to alter the profile of the base, destroying the smooth profile which is required in order to achieve effective grinding (Jackson pers. comm.).