Apothecary Porcelain Mortar & Pestle, Turned Beech Handle, 7.7 lbs, Diamond M, John M. Maris & Co. 19th Century

Condition: Excellent original condition. Rare incised Diamond M mark from John M. Maris & Co. Diameter is 7.5 inches. Height is 4.5 inches. Very heavy at 7.7 pounds. Naturally finished solid porcelain. Distinctive 9.5-inch pestle has a turned Beech wood handle inset into a porcelain head matching the mortar. Handle is marked 4. Mortar is marked 5(?).

We searched the internet and did not find another like this 19th Century Porcelain Apothecary Mortar and Pestle, Marked Diamond M, manufactured by John M. Maris & Co.

There is speculation that John M. Maris & Co. did not manufacture all of their product lines. The closest match we can find to this Diamond M mortar and pestle set are antique English pieces manufactured by and stamped Wedgewood. They are the same age, made in natural material similar porcelain, have the same shape, and notably have the same turned Beech wood pestle. It is possible that John M. Maris & Co. had Waterford make their mortar and pestle sets and imported them to America.

The English, ceramic and beech apothecary or cookery mortar and pestles by Wedgewood, dating to the late Victorian period, circa 1900, are very close to this Diamond M as offered. The Wedgewood example is also a material similar to porcelain, light off-white hues, with a turned Beech wood handle on the pestle. The base has an incised mark, “Wedgwood, Best Composition”.

On the other hand, while the Wedgewood material is similar to porcelain, it is unglazed. It provides a strong grinding surface, but being more porous, it stains easily. Additional research is required.

Company: John M. Maris & Co., M&Co, and the Diamond-M Logos

The “M&CO” logos, with their connections to both Pennsylvania and New York, have been a mystery for several years. Historical data currently available on the internet have provided a probable solution in John M. Maris & Co. In addition, other evidence indicated almost certainly that the Maris firm used the Diamond-M mark.

History Ancestral Firms, Philadelphia (1812-1846)

John M. Maris Co., Philadelphia and New York (1846-present).

In 1812, Jeremiah Emlen established a business as a druggist at Philadelphia. Caleb E. Pleasants and a man known to us only as Graeff (Pleasants & Graeff) apparently purchased the firm in 1828, possibly expanding into the wholesale drug field by this time. By 1830, Pleasants operated under his own name, but it was called C.E. Pleasants & Co. by 1840. Although John M. Maris began working for Pleasants in 1839, it was not until 1842 that Pleasants took him as a partner and changed the firm name to Pleasants & Maris (Maris & Maris 1885:69; N.A.R.D. Notes 1913:974).

Pleasants died in 1843, but Maris continued to run the firm under the joint name until January 1, 1846, when it became John M. Maris & Co. Maris continued to deal in wholesale drugs until 1872, when the focus shifted to druggists’ bottles, shop furniture, and related ware, with the business located at 711 Market St. in Philadelphia (Lowe 1908:166; Maris & Maris 1885:69; N.A.R.D. Notes 1913:972, 974; Whitten 2017). According to Edwards & Critten (1885), the firm opened a branch in New York in 1880.

- Source: Bill Lockhart, Beau Schriever, Carol Serr, and Bill Lindsey

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