Although the names of other Jewish artists of the Italian Renaissance are known, Joseph de Levis is the only one to have left a recognizable body of work. He and his brother, both bronze casters in Verona, had a workshop that was later joined by their sons. Most of the pieces made by the de Levises were for general use in the home or in churches: bells, mortars, andirons, and the like. The few pieces with Jewish symbols or characters, such as a mortar with a menorah and a Hanukkah lamp with the figures of Judith, Holofernes, and Hasmoneans, were made by Joseph or his nephew Servo (1570-1616/27), both of whom remained Jewish, while all the other family members in the shop were baptized. Another indication of Joseph's Jewish loyalty is his signature on this and all other works: Joseph de Levis, instead of the usual Italian name Giuseppe. Jews avoided the latter name because of its Christian associations.
On one side of this mortar is a medallion imitating a Roman coin with the profile of a crowned male head. During the Renaissance, men and women of culture sought to re-create Roman art forms and style, among them the antique coins struck by the emperors. Another Renaissance characteristic is the use of bronze, which became a popular medium for sculpture, both large-scale and small, and for decorative arts such as this mortar. The band of decoration that combines leaves and harpies is typical of the period.