The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 19, 2025
Pharmacy Jar (Albarello)
c. 1450
Overall: 34.3 x 15.9 cm (13 1/2 x 6 1/4 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1954.258
Location: Not on view
Description
The albarello—a name of uncertain origin—was a pharmacist's jar used to hold dried herbs or medicinal compounds. It was usually closed by means of a piece of parchment or cloth stretched over its mouth and tied with a string. Its characteristic concave sides offered an easy grip to facilitate handling. This large albarello is one of the best of a small number of exquisitely decorated blue-and-white pieces produced in Tuscany in the mid-1400s.- Prince Trabbia, Palermo; (R. Stora, New York).
- Cole, Bruce. Italian Maiolica from Midwestern Collections. [Bloomington, Ind.]: Indiana University Art Museum, September 4-October 8, 1977. Mentioned: p. 38, cat. no. 12; Reproduced: p. 39
- Italian Majolica from Midwestern Collections. Indiana University Art Museum, Bloomington, IN (organizer) (September 4-October 8, 1977).Florence and the Arts: Five Centuries of Patronage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 13-September 19, 1971).
- {{cite web|title=Pharmacy Jar (Albarello)|url=false|author=|year=c. 1450|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1954.258