Pharmacy Jar with the Arms of the Hospital of Santa Maria della Scala
Unknown Artist
1425–50
Medium
Tin-glazed earthenware
Dimensions
Overall: 12 5/8 x 9 3/16 x 6 1/2 in. (32 x 23.3 x 16.5 cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Culture
Italian
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1916
Accession Number
16.154.5
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite tin-glazed earthenware pharmacy jar, dating from 1425–50, hails from Renaissance Italy and bears the heraldic arms of Siena's Hospital of Santa Maria Scala—one of Europe's oldest hospitals, renowned for its charitable care and medical innovations since the 11th century. Standing at 12 5/8 x 9 3/16 x 6 1/2 inches, it once held medicinal herbs, ointments, or potions in the hospital's apothecary, a vital hub blending piety, science, and commerce during the late Middle Ages. Crafted by an unknown Italian potter, the jar exemplifies maiolica technique: earthenware coated in opaque w...