On view
European Art
Albarello (drug jar): Hercules and Deianira,
1500–1510
Italian
y1956-122
These drug jars are thought to be from Deruta, a town in Central Italy renowned for ceramic production. The bottles were used for pharmaceutical products—the one with Hercules and Deianira contained agrimony, an anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, and astringent, while the one with Achilles and Penthesilea contained psyllium seeds, a laxative. Apothecaries could be versed in humanist studies as well as medical arts, so the owner of these bottles may have specified the appropriate myth for the vessel that would hold each product.
More Context
Special Exhibition
This is one from a set of drug jars that would have been used in an apothecary shop, hospital, or monastery. Labeled “A. Eupatorii,” this jar would have contained agrimony, a plant used since ancient times as an anti-inflammatory agent, among other things. It was also thought to ward off magic spells. The scene of a man abducting a woman has been interpreted as one of two ancient myths, Hercules and Deianira or the Rape of the Sabines. Shelves of jars such as this once occupied entire walls of pharmacies.
Information
Title
Albarello (drug jar): Hercules and Deianira
Dates
1500–1510
Medium
Maiolica (tin-glazed earthenware)
Dimensions
47.5 x diam. 27 cm (18 11/16 x 10 5/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Stanley Mortimer, Class of 1919
Object Number
y1956-122
Place Made
Italy, Deruta?
Inscription
Scratched on bottom: 5558
Inscribed on side: A. Eupatorii
Culture
Materials
Subject
Stanley Mortimer; 1956 gift to Princeton University Art Museum.
