Workshop of Orazio Pompei
1550
Castelli (Abruzzo), Italy
Tin-glazed earthenware
Diameter: 25.3 cm
Pharmacies in Renaissance Italy were attached to royal courts, hospitals or monasteries. Their shelves were lined with rows of beautifully painted pottery jars for solid and liquid remedies. The most common shape for solids was an albarello, a type first imported into Europe from Syria. Pinched in at the waist for easier handling, they were also used in homes as flower vases or for storing food.