Apothecary Jar
Unknown Artist
ca. 1840
Medium
Tin-glazed earthenware
Dimensions
H. 11 1/4 in. (28.6 cm)
Classification
Apothecary jar
Culture
Mexican
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Robert W. de Forest, 1911
Accession Number
17.108.5
Art Historical Context
This elegant Apothecary Jar, around 1840 by an unknown Mexican artisan, measures 11¼ inches (28.6 cm) in height and exemplifies everyday functional art from mid-19th-century Mexico Crafted from tin-glazed earthenware—a where a tin oxide glaze is fired over clay to create a smooth, opaque white surface ideal for durability and decoration—the jar was designed for practical use in apothecaries storing medicines, herbs, or compounds. Such vessels were essential in pharmacies, blending utility with the rich ceramic traditions influenced by Spanish colonial methods. The tin-glazing process, rooted ...