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Pair of Delftware Apothecary Jars Sold

Pair of Delftware Apothecary Jars

Period
Circa 1680
Origin
Holland
Dimensions
W 4 1/4" diameter" × H 7"
Reference
#Marh2656

This piece has been sold. It is shown here for reference in our archive.

Description

A fine pair of late 17th-century Dutch Delftware cylindrical apothecary jars, each with blue and white decoration in typical Chinoiserie-influenced floral and foliate motifs, enclosing Latin inscriptions within cartouches. One jar inscribed MENTHAE (peppermint oil), the other TAMARINDI (tamarind, a fruit tree whose pulp was used for sweetening and medicinal purposes).
Both jars are of waisted cylindrical form with everted rims and standing on short circular feet. The inscriptions are framed within scrolling foliate borders, surmounted by stylised bouquets and flanked by allegorical motifs.
Condition: one jar (Tamarindi) displays a fine hairline crack to the rim, and both jars show minor fritting and small glaze losses commensurate with age and use.

Menthae (mint) was commonly used in early medicine as a digestive aid, breath freshener, and mild antiseptic, while Tamarindi (tamarind) was an imported fruit pulp valued as a gentle laxative, fever-reducer, and sweetening agent in syrups. Together, they represent both familiar European remedies and exotic imports of the 17th-century apothecary.

Curator's Note

Previous Dutch East Indies ca… Next James I joined oak p…
  • Pair of Delftware Apothecary Jars

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