Drug pot (one of a pair)

Orazio Pompei

ca. 1530 · Maiolica (tin-glazed earthenware) · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Yellow scales cover the spouts of these pots (see also 41.190.73), culminating in dragons’ heads at the openings; these vessels would have been used to store herbal syrups. The intersection of spout and body is marked by a painted flower, with male and female portraits appearing on either side. Fantastic and chaotic, these pots must have brought joy to the pharmacist’s routine.

Artist

Orazio Pompei

Date

ca. 1530

Medium

Maiolica (tin-glazed earthenware)

Culture

Italian, Castelli

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Bequest of George Blumenthal, 1941