Pharmacy jar (albarello)

Masséot Abaquesne|Laurent Abaquesne

ca. 1545 · Tin-glazed earthenware · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Featuring tulips and a grotesque head in profile, this jar was designed to store herbs, powders, and other dry medicines that would have been protected from spoilage by a piece of parchment secured around the opening. The container was probably part of an order for 4,152 vessels placed by an apothecary in 1545 with Masséot Abaquesne, who ran a large workshop with his son, Laurent.

Artist

Masséot Abaquesne|Laurent Abaquesne

Date

ca. 1545

Medium

Tin-glazed earthenware

Culture

French, Rouen

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917