Art

Panorama of the Army of the Cumberland

The National Museum of American History is not an art museum. But works of art fill its collections and testify to the vital place of art in everyday American life. The ceramics collections hold hundreds of examples of American and European art glass and pottery. Fashion sketches, illustrations, and prints are part of the costume collections. Donations from ethnic and cultural communities include many homemade religious ornaments, paintings, and figures. The Harry T Peters "America on Stone" collection alone comprises some 1,700 color prints of scenes from the 1800s. The National Quilt Collection is art on fabric. And the tools of artists and artisans are part of the Museum's collections, too, in the form of printing plates, woodblock tools, photographic equipment, and potters' stamps, kilns, and wheels.

Resource Type: Jars

EXTRAGT. ALOES GUMOSUM

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1991.0664.0733
catalog number
M-05945
accession number
1991.0664
collector/donor number
SAP 657

MANN: CANNAL

This albarello-shaped drug jar has a white tin-glaze background with a cobalt blue cartouche. Atoop the cartouche is a basket of fruit flanked by two peacocks. Scrolls vines, tassels and the face of an angel complete the decoration.
Description
This albarello-shaped drug jar has a white tin-glaze background with a cobalt blue cartouche. Atoop the cartouche is a basket of fruit flanked by two peacocks. Scrolls vines, tassels and the face of an angel complete the decoration. The center of the cartouche is marked, "MANN: CANNAL"
The bottom of the glazed base bares a makers mark, a small dot above the letter P. This is the mark of the Pennis family who owned two ceramic factories from about 1723 to 1789. In addition to apothecary jars they made small utillitarian objects for the home.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1723-1774
maker
Pennis, Johannis
ID Number
1991.0664.0826
catalog number
M-06038
accession number
1991.0664
collector/donor number
SAP 750

jar

A goblet-shaped drug jar with a foot. The jar has a white-glazed background with a cobalt blue cartouche, decorated with a basket flanked by two birds.On a visit to Washington, DC in 1983, Dutch Historian of pharmacy D.A.
Description
A goblet-shaped drug jar with a foot. The jar has a white-glazed background with a cobalt blue cartouche, decorated with a basket flanked by two birds.
On a visit to Washington, DC in 1983, Dutch Historian of pharmacy D.A. Wittop Koning spent time examining with the Bristol-Myers Squibb Collection. Koning made a list of the mortars and jar jars he felt were misidentified. He felt this particular jar was a replica.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1700 - 1799
ID Number
1991.0664.0829
catalog number
M-06041
accession number
1991.0664

CORT: AURANT: FLAV

"CORT: AURANT: FLAV" is the fruit or rind of the orange. Aurant Cortex was used for flavoring in cooking.
Description (Brief)
"CORT: AURANT: FLAV" is the fruit or rind of the orange. Aurant Cortex was used for flavoring in cooking. It was also used as a tonic, antispasmodic, and for the general health of the stomach.
George Urdang author of The Squibb Ancient Pharmacy Catalogue attributes the containers 1991.0664.0760 through 1991.0664.0825 to Hanau in the late 18th century based on the floral design surrounding the medallion and the initials "HN" on the bottom of many of the jars in the series. However, in a letter to museum curators dated August 1983, the pharmaceutical historian Wolfgang-Hagen Hein wrote that the unmarked containers and those marked "FH" were made in Florsheim in the German state of Hesse.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1790-1810
Date made
1775 - 1799
ID Number
1991.0664.0797
accession number
1991.0664
collector/donor number
SAP 721
catalog number
1991.0664.0797

Y DIREGOLITIA

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1600 - 1699
ID Number
1991.0664.0675
catalog number
M-05887
accession number
1991.0664
collector/donor number
SAP 599

SEM: POCONIAE

This drug jar is marked SEM: POCONIAE.
Description
This drug jar is marked SEM: POCONIAE. Pharmaceutical historian George Urdang attributes containers 1991.0664.0760 through 1991.0664.0825 to Hanau in the late 18th century based on the floral design surrounding the medallion and the initials HN on the bottom of many of the jars in the series. However, in a letter to museum curators dated August 1983, the pharmaceutical historian Wolfgang-Hagen Hein wrote that the containers without initials and those marked FH were made in Florsheim in the German state of Hesse.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1790-1810
Date made
1775 - 1799
ID Number
1991.0664.0824
accession number
1991.0664
collector/donor number
SAP 748
catalog number
1991.0664.0824

C: CAS CARILL

This "Albarello-shaped" jar and lid is an unusual shape for a wooden drug container.
Description
This "Albarello-shaped" jar and lid is an unusual shape for a wooden drug container. (the lid is stuck to the container) The jar has two incised lines at the neck and near the base, and it is painted green with an ivory-colored medallion, a black and gold border, and an alchemical symbol for Pulvis (Powder).
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1991.0664.0874
accession number
1991.0664
collector/donor number
SAP 796
catalog number
1991.0664.0874

Albarello

This blue and white albarello dates to the 17th century and is attributed to the city of Faenza, Italy. The jar has a flared neck, and likely would have been used as a medicine container.
Description
This blue and white albarello dates to the 17th century and is attributed to the city of Faenza, Italy. The jar has a flared neck, and likely would have been used as a medicine container. The jar bears the image of a house or other architectural structure that is rendered with a painterly quality and is surrounded by stylized flowers and vines. The back of the container is white.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1600
Date made
1600 - 1650
ID Number
1991.0664.0503
catalog number
M-05715
accession number
1991.0664
collector/donor number
SAP 427
catalog number
1991.0664.0503

Ung: Santalum

This waisted drug jar has a white background decorated with stylized garlands of blue and orange flowers surrounded by green leaves. The waist has a band of gothic–style letters that read Ung Santalinum. The foot has a green wash and the lid has a band of blue flowers.
Description
This waisted drug jar has a white background decorated with stylized garlands of blue and orange flowers surrounded by green leaves. The waist has a band of gothic–style letters that read Ung Santalinum. The foot has a green wash and the lid has a band of blue flowers. The lid has a crack down the center and the finial has broken off. Historian George Urdang attributes this piece to mid–eighteenth century Strasbourg. The jar would have contained Unguentum santalum, or ointment from the "Santalum", or sandalwood tree. The oils from sandalwood were well known for their strong aromas, and were used as an antivenereal and astringent.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
18th century
Date made
1725 - 1775
ID Number
1991.0664.0678
accession number
1991.0664
catalog number
M-05890
collector/donor number
SAP 602
catalog number
1991.0664.0678.01
1991.0664.0678.02

BENEDITTA H

The lower shoulder of this drug jar in inscribed BENEDITTA H. The jar would have contained Benedicts’s herb, or Geum urbanum. The herb and its roots were used as a remedy for liver disease and stomach ailments.The jar has a white background decorated with blue vines.
Description
The lower shoulder of this drug jar in inscribed BENEDITTA H. The jar would have contained Benedicts’s herb, or Geum urbanum. The herb and its roots were used as a remedy for liver disease and stomach ailments.
The jar has a white background decorated with blue vines. Its center contains a coat of arms framed by a yellow shield and topped by a knight’s helmet. The escutcheon has a blue field, with three stars on a yellow band running diagonally across the upper quarter of the shield. The bottom of the shield features a yellow rooster perches on a three-pronged brown base. The initials P. and G. flank either side of the shield. This jar belongs to a series of containers 1991.0664.0525 through 1991.0664.0529 which have been attributed to eighteenth century Savona.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1700
ID Number
1991.0664.0527
accession number
1991.0664
collector/donor number
SAP 451
catalog number
1991.0664.0527

Drug Jar

This small earthenware jar was made to contain extracts used in the preparations of apothecary medicines.
Description
This small earthenware jar was made to contain extracts used in the preparations of apothecary medicines. The jar has a label that is marked “Extract Salicis.” It would have contained white willow bark extract, salicin, which becomes salicylic acid, a forerunner of aspirin.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1991.0664.1091
catalog number
M-06112
accession number
1991.0664
collector/donor number
SAP 824
catalog number
1991.0664.1091

Ell di Sebesten

This blue monochrome albarello is decorated with cobalt blue vines and leaves. The escroll in the center of the container is marked in gothic script that reads Ell di Sebesten. Albarelli with wide mouths held dry bulk materia medica.
Description
This blue monochrome albarello is decorated with cobalt blue vines and leaves. The escroll in the center of the container is marked in gothic script that reads Ell di Sebesten. Albarelli with wide mouths held dry bulk materia medica. Inscriptions of the jar's contents begin to appear about 1450. This jar would have contained Sebestena, the sweet plum fruit from the Cordia myxa tree that was used to soothe the throat.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1500
Date made
1500 - 1550
ID Number
1991.0664.0491
accession number
1991.0664
catalog number
M-05703
collector/donor number
SAP 415
catalog number
1991.0664.0491

Virid oris

This wooden straight-walled drug jar and lid is painted dark green, with an ivory-colored oval medallion surrounded by ivory-colored half moons and c-scrolls. The interior of the medallion is marked in black, "Virid oris".
Description
This wooden straight-walled drug jar and lid is painted dark green, with an ivory-colored oval medallion surrounded by ivory-colored half moons and c-scrolls. The interior of the medallion is marked in black, "Virid oris". The Interior wall of the container and lid is stained with a bright green residue.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1991.0664.0879
accession number
1991.0664
collector/donor number
SAP 801
catalog number
1991.0664.0879.01
1991.0664.0879.02

Syr Papaver Er

This baluster shaped syrup jar has a white tin glazed background with two continuous bands of stylized blue, orange and red flowers. The spout resembles the stem of a plant.
Description
This baluster shaped syrup jar has a white tin glazed background with two continuous bands of stylized blue, orange and red flowers. The spout resembles the stem of a plant. The handle has two applied brown stems that overlap and terminate with green leaves at the widest point of the jar. Historian George Urdang suggests this jar was made in or around the town of Niderville in the Lorraine region of eastern France. The jar would have contained Syrup of Papaver Erraticum, the juice of red poppy, which was used as an analgesic.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
18th century
ID Number
1991.0664.0683
accession number
1991.0664
catalog number
M-05895
collector/donor number
SAP 607
catalog number
1991.0664.0683.01
1991.0664.0683.02

OPIAT, DENT

Cylindrical drug jar with a cobalt blue festoon. This jar is similar to 1991.0664.0848 & 849. Very little of the paper label is left on the back of the jar.Currently not on view
Description
Cylindrical drug jar with a cobalt blue festoon. This jar is similar to 1991.0664.0848 & 849. Very little of the paper label is left on the back of the jar.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
19th Century
1700 - 1799
ID Number
1991.0664.0850
catalog number
M-06062
accession number
1991.0664
collector/donor number
SAP 774

L SANCTI

This dark green blown glass jar has a wide mouth to accommodate dried plant material. The label is marked L SANCTI with the alchemical symbol for powder above. The label is applied with the cold paint method. Unlike the enamel labels, there is no baking involved.
Description
This dark green blown glass jar has a wide mouth to accommodate dried plant material. The label is marked L SANCTI with the alchemical symbol for powder above. The label is applied with the cold paint method. Unlike the enamel labels, there is no baking involved. Therefore it is not unusual to find the label has been badly scratched and suffered severe paint loss.
The decoration appears as an upside–down heart outlined in red with a stylized flower at the top. Lignum Sancti, also known as holy wood or guaicacum, consisted of the powdered leaves, resin, and wood from the Guiacum officiale tree. The powder had medicinal properties and was used as an antivenereal (curative for venereal diseases), a stimulant, and a cathartic.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
17th century
ID Number
1991.0664.0348
accession number
1991.0664
catalog number
M-05497
collector/donor number
SAP 209
catalog number
1991.0664.0348

PULV EPILEPT M

This wide mouth blown glass jar has a flattened collar and applied round foot.
Description
This wide mouth blown glass jar has a flattened collar and applied round foot. The glass container is decorated with a baked enamel cartouche with a white medallion framed by blue stylized leaves and a yellow ribbon, topped by a crown which is typical of German pharmaceutical containers of the 17th and 18th centuries. It is marked PULV, EPiLEPT, N.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
18th century
ID Number
1991.0664.0169
accession number
1991.0664
catalog number
M-05317
1991.0664.0169
collector/donor number
SAP 26

Syrup de Pomis s

This blue and white syrup jar has an applied strap handle, a spout, a flared foot, and a round wooden lid painted red. The jar is decorated with a stylized floral motif and a central white band inscribed in gothic lettering that reads S de pomis s.
Description
This blue and white syrup jar has an applied strap handle, a spout, a flared foot, and a round wooden lid painted red. The jar is decorated with a stylized floral motif and a central white band inscribed in gothic lettering that reads S de pomis s. The jar could have contained Syrupus de Pomis compositus, a syrup made from senna leaves, borage, and apple juice that was used as a purgative.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1500
Date made
1500 - 1599
date made
ca 1550
ID Number
1991.0664.0499
catalog number
M-05711
accession number
1991.0664
catalog number
1991.0664.0499.02
collector/donor number
SAP 423
catalog number
1991.0664.0499.01

Ol. Laurin

This syrup jar has a strap handle and a curved spout. Bands of blue flowers and vines at the upper and lower shoulders. Marked in the center of the body in black Ol. Laurin The foot is also marked Fratti Gios..Currently not on view
Description
This syrup jar has a strap handle and a curved spout. Bands of blue flowers and vines at the upper and lower shoulders. Marked in the center of the body in black Ol. Laurin The foot is also marked Fratti Gios..
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1991.0664.0591
accession number
1991.0664
catalog number
M-05803

Albarello

This albarello depicts a cat–like animal standing on its hind legs, surrounded by flowers and trees in blue. Blue bands encircle the jar’s upper and lower shoulders.Currently not on view
Description
This albarello depicts a cat–like animal standing on its hind legs, surrounded by flowers and trees in blue. Blue bands encircle the jar’s upper and lower shoulders.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
18th century
ID Number
1991.0664.0605
catalog number
M-05817
accession number
1991.0664
collector/donor number
SAP ?
catalog number
1991.0664.0605

Drug Jar

This square-shaped drug jar is identical to 1991.0664.0717. The date “1716” is at the lower portion of the jar.
Description (Brief)
This square-shaped drug jar is identical to 1991.0664.0717. The date “1716” is at the lower portion of the jar. According to George Urdang author of The Squibb Ancient Pharmacy Catalogue, the intertwined triple “C” on the left represents Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels, and the letters "LCD" on the right for his wife Louise Christine.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1716
ID Number
1991.0664.0716
accession number
1991.0664
collector/donor number
SAP 640
catalog number
1991.0664.0716

Drug Jar

This turned wooden drug jar has been painted several times, with traces of blue, yellow, and red paint visible. One side of the container has traces of an ivory-colored, oval medallion framed by a ribbon and a gold-colored bead motif.
Description
This turned wooden drug jar has been painted several times, with traces of blue, yellow, and red paint visible. One side of the container has traces of an ivory-colored, oval medallion framed by a ribbon and a gold-colored bead motif. Within the medallion are traces of black letters. The opposite side has traces of an ivory colored shield outlined in blue and gold. Traces of red and black markings can be seen.
This container is a good example of how pharmaceutical containers were used over and over. When the contents changed from one medicinal to another, the original label was removed and another label was painted in its place.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1991.0664.0881
accession number
1991.0664
catalog number
M-06091
collector/donor number
SAP 803
catalog number
1991.0664.0881.01
1991.0664.0881.02

AX: LEPOR

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1700 - 1799
ID Number
1991.0664.0738
accession number
1991.0664
catalog number
M-05950
collector/donor number
SAP 662

Albarello

This blue monochrome albarello is sparsely decorated with stylized vines and flowers and bands of blue dots and solid stripes.Currently not on view
Description
This blue monochrome albarello is sparsely decorated with stylized vines and flowers and bands of blue dots and solid stripes.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1500 - 1599
ID Number
1991.0664.0512
catalog number
M-05724
accession number
1991.0664
collector/donor number
SAP 436
catalog number
1991.0664.0512

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