PHARMACY JAR or ALBARELLO - Palermo, Sicily, Italy - Late 17th – early 18th century

PHARMACY POT or ALBARELLO
Palermo, Sicily, Italy
End of the 17th – beginning of the 18th century
Earthenware
H.: 26; Diam.: 15.5 cm

This Sicilian medicine jar, called an albarello, is made of majolica in the shape of an albarella: cylindrical, curved at the waist (to make it easier to grip) and with a shoulder at the level of the beaded neck (to attach a ligature and close the container). It is entirely covered with a polychrome decoration organized in two cartouches: one on a blue background is centered with a round medallion with a bust portrait of the Reaper, the other, on a yellow ochre background, displays the portrait of a bearded man in a hood.
The upper and lower edges are decorated with a frieze of yellow interlacing, outlined in brown – characteristic of the region.

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

Ref.: 5190