Pair Of Pharmacy Jars Or Albarello Gerace, Calabria Region, Italy 17th Century

Pair of PHARMACY or ALBARELLO JARS
Gerace, Calabria region, Italy 
17th century
Earthenware 
H. 30; Diam. 20 cm
(slight accident)

These medicine jars, known as albarelli, are made of majolica and have an albarelle shape: cylindrical, with a shoulder at the beaded neck - allowing a ligature to be attached and the container to be closed. The sides are each decorated with a medallion portrait of a bust on a radiant yellow background and polychrome foliage and flowers on a blue background. The portrait of a woman in right profile is surrounded by a blue frieze of stylized flowers. The backgrounds of the two containers are blue.

Albarelli were prized by apothecaries and pharmacies, who stored ointments, medicinal plants and other powders in them thanks to the non-porous properties of these containers.  

Text and photos © FCP CORIDON

Code: 5236