Ceramic Pharmacy Jar

This pharmacy jar and Wallace Collection C78, which comes from the same set, were made in Siena, in the Tuscany region of Italy, around 1510-20. Sienese potters were able to produce ceramics to a high standard by the 1480s, as evidenced by tile pavements in two of the city’s churches. The tile pavement in the Piccolomini Library of Siena Cathedral may have been laid as early as around 1495–7. The tiles incorporate the deep red characteristic of Sienese maiolica. The deep band of symmetrical, repeating ornament around the body of this jar comprises fanciful winged human-like figures, ox skulls and foliate scrolls. This fantastical style of decoration, which is known as ‘grotesque’, often occurs on an orange ground on Sienese maiolica of this period. Grotesque ornament takes its ultimate inspiration from Roman antiquity. Works of art produced during the Renaissance that are inspired by stylistic and iconographic characteristics from Classical antiquity came to be referred to as ‘alla antica’ – in the style of the ancients. Grotesque ornament was disseminated through prints in the early sixteenth century, when dark-ground grotesques such as those on this pharmacy jar became a popular motif on Italian Renaissance maiolica. The jar’s shape, which gives it its name, ‘albarello’, derives from Arab pharmacy jars. The Arabic word ‘El Barani’ describes a container for drugs which often has a slightly concave profile for ease of holding. Albarelli (plural of ‘albarello’) originated in 12th-century Persia. They were first imported to and subsequently produced in Europe. Drug jars made from tin-glazed earthenware (maiolica) were used extensively in Italian apothecaries in the 16th century. They were well suited to this purpose, being impermeable and easy to clean, while their decoration often included a scroll or cartouche inscribed with a description of the contents. These took both liquid and solid form, and were wide-ranging, even including spices such as cinnamon and pepper. Drug jars of albarello shape, such as Wallace Collection C77 and C78, were used to store dry ingredients. The inscription ‘diacoro’ on the integral label below the shoulder of this jar refers to a drug containing the root of wild carrot. The contents could be kept clean by the application of a ceramic lid or a paper or fabric cover tied below the jar’s rim. Spouted drug jars such as Wallace Collection C51 were used for liquid (wet) remedies. Pharmacy jars were produced in sets. This jar formed part of a set with Wallace Collection C78, which is similarly decorated. The number and variety of the containers in a set varied, depending on their destination. A large set might be ordered for the pharmacy of a hospital or monastic order, while a set for domestic use would be less extensive. Their decoration could include the initials of an institution or the coat of arms or emblem of a noble family.