Pharmacy Bottle

c. 1500–1510

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

Pharmacy bottles that lined the shelves of Renaissance pharmacies often held medicinal herbs, spices, and ointments. The inscription on this bottle reads CAPILLV, which was a liquid extracted from a fern-like plant commonly referred to as “maiden’s hair water.”

Show lessRead more

Download this artwork (provided by The Cleveland Museum of Art).

Learn more about this artwork.

Details

Title: Pharmacy Bottle
Date Created: c. 1500–1510
Physical Dimensions: Overall: 38.8 cm (15 1/4 in.)
Provenance: (F. A. Drey, London).
Type: Ceramic
Rights: CC0
External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1943.52.2
Medium: tin-glazed earthenware (maiolica)
Inscriptions: written in lower ribbon band: A. CAPILLV.
Fun Fact: The peacock feather design lining the bottom of this bottle was especially popular in Faenza, near Bologna, during the Renaissance.
Department: Decorative Art and Design
Culture: Italy, Papal States, Faenza
Credit Line: Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Collection: Decorative Arts
Accession Number: 1943.52.2

Get the app

Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more

Zoom in

Bottle Ceramic Clay Medicine Rock Stoneware