Bristol-Myers Squibb European Apothecary -- Ceramic Drug Containers
Ceramic Drug Containers

Apothecary jars were used to store and preserve crude and compounded drugs, in both dry and liquid forms. They were made from a variety of materials including wood, glass, ceramic, and metal. They came in various shapes and sizes: Tall-waisted albarelli and wide-mouth jars were used to store dry, bulky material such as leaves, bark, and flowers. Syrup jars with spouts and handles were used for liquids. Small, thin-necked containers held minute quantities of liquids, and tiny vials and pots were used for dispensing medicines to patients.
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Jar from King Augustus II's court pharmacy in Dresden, 1734 |
The ceramic jars in the Bristol-Myers Squibb collection are an eclectic mix from European cities such as Faenza, Florence, Siena, Castel Durante, Urbino, Castelli, Genoa, Savona, Verona, Venice, Milan, Strasbourg, Rouen, Dresden, Berlin, Nuremberg, Offenbach, Flörsheim, Frankfurt, Hanau, Delft, and Catalonia.
Apothecary containers generally represented a small portion of a potter’s inventory of tiles and tableware. Drug jars were often a means to supplement a craftsman’s income. There was a steady market for apothecary containers for pharmacies, hospitals, palace apothecaries, and monasteries. Many Italian potters found the home market crowded, and thus they migrated to more lucrative areas across the European continent adding to the difficulty of identifying the provenance of early apothecary containers. Well-to-do pharmacists arranged to have large sets of jars produced with coats of arms or other distinguishing images symbols applied to the jars. For example, the straight-walled container 1991.0664.0715, produced in 1734 for the court pharmacy of Dresden, and bears the initials AR referring to Augustus Rex, King Augustus II (the Strong), of Poland. Flanking the initials are a coat of arms with crossed swords for the Electorate of Saxony, and another coat of arms for the Kingdom of Poland. Albarelli and other ceramic containers were also used in the home to store medicines, spices, and dyes. Containers without lids were covered with parchment or cloth and tied with a string at the neck.
Jars with labels referencing their contents begin to appear in the 15th century. Sometimes a blank area was left on the jar in which the apothecary could write the jars contents. The earliest jars in the collection are decorated with geometric patterns and deep blue and yellow hues. Historical and religious themes were popular as decoration in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Abbreviations and alchemical symbols seen on many of the collections jars varied from century to century and from country to country. One plant could be spelled or abbreviated several ways, consequently it is not always possible to decipher the labels on drug jars. Physicians and their patients were preoccupied with the digestive system. There was an inordinate number of remedies in the seventeenth and eighteenth century having to do with the control or the lack of control of bowels, flatulence etc.


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Drug Jar
- Description
- This small earthenware jar was used to contain extracts used in the preparations of medicines.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- 1991.0664.1092
- catalog number
- M-06112
- accession number
- 1991.0664
- collector/donor number
- SAP 824
- catalog number
- 1991.0664.1092
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Drug jar
- Description
- This blue monochrome drug jar has a cobalt blue stylized floral motif and scrolls. There is a cobalt blue and yellow-brown escroll in the center of the container inscribed with gothic script.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1500
- Date made
- 1500 - 1550
- ID Number
- 1991.0664.0497
- catalog number
- M-05709
- accession number
- 1991.0664
- collector/donor number
- SAP 421
- catalog number
- 1991.0664.0497
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Drug Jar
- Description
- This white and blue majolica drug jar has a round shield topped by a crown in its center. The maker’s mark is on the bottom of the container and has been attributed to the city of Nuremberg, Germany.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 18th century
- ID Number
- 1991.0664.0732
- catalog number
- M-05944
- accession number
- 1991.0664
- collector/donor number
- SAP 656
- catalog number
- 1991.0664.0732
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Philon Persicum
- Description
- This waisted drug jar has a flared foot with a deep blue glaze over a white background. The jar is decorated with stylized flowers and leaves on the upper and lower shoulders. The label at the center of the waist is marked Philon: Persicum: The jar would have contained Philonium Persicum, Latin for Persian medicine. The preparation, named for Philon of Tarsus and prepared according to his recipes, would have contained opium, white pepper, saffron, rosewater, and a variety of aromatics. The preparation was used to stop menses or prevent miscarriages, relieve pain, and induce sleep. This jar belongs to a set of drug containers seen in objects 1991.0664.0589 through 1991.0664.0596.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 18th century
- ID Number
- 1991.0664.0589
- accession number
- 1991.0664
- catalog number
- M-05801
- collector/donor number
- SAP 513
- catalog number
- 1991.0664.0589
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Ung: au Frabirm
- Description
- This waisted drug jar has a flared foot and a deep blue glaze over a white background. The jar is decorated with stylized flowers and leaves on the upper and lower shoulders. The label at the center of the waist is marked Ung: au Frabirm. The jar would have contained some type of unguentum, or ointment. It belongs to a set of drug containers seen in objects 1991.0664.0589 through 1991.0664.0596.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 18th century
- ID Number
- 1991.0664.0592
- accession number
- 1991.0664
- catalog number
- M-05804
- collector/donor number
- SAP 516
- catalog number
- 1991.0664.0592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Conf Hiacint Co
- Description
- This waisted drug jar has a flared foot with a deep blue glaze over a white background. The jar is decorated with stylized flowers and leaves on the upper and lower shoulders. The label at the center of the waist is marked, Conf Hiacint Co. The jar would have contained Confectio de Hiacintho, or Confection of Hyacinths (Jacinths). The Confection of Hyacinths was an electuary, or paste, made from red zircon that was used as a stomachic to improve appetite and digestion, and an anthelmintic to kill intestinal worms. This jar belongs to a set of drug containers seen in objects 1991.0664.0589 through 1991.0664.0596.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 18th century
- ID Number
- 1991.0664.0593
- accession number
- 1991.0664
- catalog number
- M-05805
- collector/donor number
- SAP 517
- catalog number
- 1991.0664.0593
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Ung: Bphonir:
- Description
- This waisted drug jar has a flared foot with a deep blue glaze over a white background. The jar is decorated with stylized flowers and leaves on the upper and lower shoulders. The label at the center of the waist is marked Ung Bphonir. The jar would have contained some type of unguentum, or ointment. This jar belongs to a set of drug containers seen in objects 1991.0664.0589 through 1991.0664.0596.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 18th century
- ID Number
- 1991.0664.0594
- accession number
- 1991.0664
- catalog number
- M-05806
- collector/donor number
- SAP 518
- catalog number
- 1991.0664.0594
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Cinms Cassia Donz
- Description
- This waisted drug jar has a flared foot and a deep blue glaze over a white background. The jar is decorated with stylized flowers and leaves on the upper and lower shoulders. The label at the center of the waist is marked, Cinms Cassia Donz. The jar would have contained the plant Cinnamon cassia, also known as Cinnamomum aromaticum. The plant was often used in alcoholic solutions as a mild tonic. This jar belongs to a set of drug containers seen in objects 1991.0664.0589 through 1991.0664.0596.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 18th century
- ID Number
- 1991.0664.0595
- accession number
- 1991.0664
- catalog number
- M-05807
- collector/donor number
- SAP 519
- catalog number
- 1991.0664.0595
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Ung d althea
- Description
- This waisted drug jar has a flared foot and a deep blue glaze over a white background. The jar is decorated with stylized flowers and leaves on the upper and lower shoulders. The label at the center of the waist is marked, Ung d althea. The jar would have contained an ointment made from the Althaea, or marshmallow plant. The ointment was often taken from the roots of the plant and used as an emollient and demulcent (an oily substance to relieve a sore mucous membrane). This jar belongs to a set of drug containers seen in objects 1991.0664.0589 through 1991.0664.0596.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 18th century
- ID Number
- 1991.0664.0596
- accession number
- 1991.0664
- catalog number
- M-05808
- collector/donor number
- SAP 520
- catalog number
- 1991.0664.0596
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Drug Jar
- Description
- This straight walled drug container has a flared lip and base. The jar has a white tin glazed background and is decorated with a blue crown flanked by blue vines, leaves, and flowers. A maker’s mark is on the bottom of the container. George Urdang attributes the jar to 18th-century Rheinisberg, a small town near Berlin. The crown is the royal Prussian crown.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 18th century
- ID Number
- 1991.0664.0721
- catalog number
- M-05933
- accession number
- 1991.0664
- collector/donor number
- SAP 645
- catalog number
- 1991.0664.0721
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
E CORT: PERUV
- Description
- This tin glazed cylindrical drug jar has a short straight neck and flared foot. The container is decorated with cobalt blue laurel branches. The interior of the wreath is marked, “E CORT:PERUV.” The jar is the work of Hugo Brouwer, who owned a ceramics factory in Delft, the Netherlands.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1775-1788
- maker
- Hugo Brouwer
- ID Number
- 1991.0664.0841
- accession number
- 1991.0664
- catalog number
- M-06053
- collector/donor number
- SAP 765
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
AQ/ FENICV
- Description
- This ovoid–shaped drug container has a slender neck and a pinched spout. The jar is decorated with a blue floral design, and is marked around the center “FENICV.” The jar would have contained Feniculum (or foeniculum), also known as fennel. Fennel was used as a carminative, an expectorant, and a diuretic.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1700
- ID Number
- 1991.0664.0642
- accession number
- 1991.0664
- catalog number
- M-05854
- collector/donor number
- SAP 566
- catalog number
- 1991.0664.0642
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Drug Jar
- 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Jar, Elec. Rosal Sol
- Description
- This wide mouthed waisted drug jar has a yellow square border that frames a scene with a monk kneeling in prayer in front of a tree. The jar bears the text Elect. Rosat. Sol. The jar would have contained Electuary Rosatus Solutivus, a solution made from rose petals and sweetened with the addition of sugar. The solution was used as an aperient, or appetite stimulant. In a letter dated 7 October 1983, pharmaceutical historian and author Dr. D. A. Wittop Koning speculates that this drug jar is probably not authentic.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 16th century
- Date made
- 1756
- ID Number
- 1991.0664.0513
- accession number
- 1991.0664
- catalog number
- M-05725
- collector/donor number
- SAP 437
- catalog number
- 1991.0664.0513
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Drug Jar
- Description
- This small wide-mouthed drug jar has a whitish tin glaze decorated by a round blue shield with an empty interior. The shield is flanked by two rampant lions and topped by a crown and an orb. The maker’s mark is on the bottom of the container.
- George Urdang attributes this jar and 1991.0664.0737 to 18th century Offenbach in the state of Hesse. A potter’s mark is on the bottom of the jar.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 18th century
- ID Number
- 1991.0664.0736
- accession number
- 1991.0664
- catalog number
- M-05948
- collector/donor number
- SAP 660
- catalog number
- 1991.0664.0736
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Drug Jar
- Description
- Containers with blank labels could be filled with different ingredients depending on the apothecaries needs. When the contents of the jars were replaced, apothecaries would write the appropriate name in the medallion.
- Urdang attributes the containers 1991.0664.0760 through 1991.0664.0825 decorated to the town of Hanau in the late 18th century based on the blue and purple floral design surrounding the white medallion and the initials HN on the bottom of many of the jars in the series. However, in a letter dated August 1983, the pharmaceutical history scholar Wolfgang-Hagen Hein believes the unmarked containers and those marked FH were made in Florsheim in the German state of Hesse just twenty-three miles southwest of Hanau.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1790-1810
- ID Number
- 1991.0664.0771
- accession number
- 1991.0664
- catalog number
- M-05983
- collector/donor number
- SAP 695
- catalog number
- 1991.0664
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
CARYOPH AR PR
- Description
- This majolica drug container has a blue wreath in its center that is topped by a crown. The center of the wreath is marked "CARYOPH AR PR” in black.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- 1991.0664.0742
- catalog number
- M-05954
- accession number
- 1991.0664
- collector/donor number
- SAP 666
- catalog number
- 1991.0664.0742
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Vng. Alaba strin
- Description
- This tin glazed conical drug jar is decorated with two curved blue vines to form an oval cartouche. The interior of the cartouche is marked, “Vng. Alaba strin.” The jar would have contained Unguentum Alabastrinum, an ointment made from powdered alabaster, chamomile, rose petals, and wax that was used as an emollient.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- 1991.0664.0859
- accession number
- 1991.0664
- catalog number
- M-06071
- collector/donor number
- SAP 784
- catalog number
- 1991.0664.0859.1
- 1991.0664.0859.2
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Drug Jar
- Description
- This vase–shaped red clay container has an orange–colored glaze. It likely was used to store small amounts of an ointment.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- 1991.0664.1048
- catalog number
- M-06112
- accession number
- 1991.0664
- collector/donor number
- SAP 824
- catalog number
- 1991.0664.1048
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Unguentum Dialtea
- Description
- This blue monochrome albarello-shaped drug jar has a stylized cobalt-blue floral motif with a cross-hatch band just above the shoulder and foot. An escroll in the center of the container is inscribed in gothic script, u dialtea. This jar would have contained Unguentum Dialthaea, an ointment made from the gummy extract of the roots of the Althaea officinalis, also known as the Marshmallow. The ointment was used to soothe irritated throats and to relieve coughs.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1500
- Date made
- 1500 - 1550
- ID Number
- 1991.0664.0495
- accession number
- 1991.0664
- catalog number
- M-05707
- collector/donor number
- SAP 419
- catalog number
- 1991.0664.0495
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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