Dry drug jar

Date1700-1730

MediumTin-glazed earthenware (delft)

DimensionsH: 11 1/8"; (28.3 cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1958-238

DescriptionBaluster bodied jar with high neck, everted rim, and high slightly flared base. On one side, the arms of the Apothecaries' Company: unicorn supporters surrounded by acanthus leaves; in the middle, a shield depicting a young nimbused Apollo astride a dragon, holding a bow and arrow; above the shield, a helmet crested with a rhinoceros; below the shield, the motto OPIFER QUE PER ORBEM DICOR on a scroll and below that of the City of London. On the other side, chinoiserie flowers, branches, and three serrated leaves fanning out from the base, insects, and a flying bird; at the bottom, stylized leaves. Base glazed.
Label TextIn "The Armorial London Delft of the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries" (CONNOISSEUR, March 1951), author Agnes Lothian discusses a series of large dry drug jars with apothecary arms dating from the mid-seventeenth century into the eighteenth century. She illustrates one of the same size and shape as that seen here, but with a slight difference in the arrangement of the arms.
Inscribed"OPIFER QUE PER ORBEM DICOR" and arms of the City of London
MarkingsNo
ProvenanceDr. M. W. Caraco
Tilley & Co., London