Drug jar (albarello)
Dateca. 1550-1600
Maker
Italian, Faenza
Maker
Sicilian, Palermo
Label TextIn the 10th and 11th centuries, Indonesia enjoyed a sophisticated horticulture and understanding of the use of medicinal drugs. By the 14th century, when Islam conquered Indonesia, the knowledge moved west with the Islamic armies and enhanced medical practices in Europe. This jar takes its shape from a column of bamboo, the traditional Indonesian containers for medicaments. This jar held an elixir of psyllium, or fleawort, a laxative.
Mesue (Ibn Masawayh in Arabic) was a Persian physician born 777 A.D. He composed a considerable number of Arabic medical works covering topics such as fevers, leprosy, melancholy, eye diseases, and aphorisms. His most famous work was Daghal al-ain (Disorder of the Eye), and his book on aphorisms was very popular in the Middle Ages through its Latin translation. He also translated Greek medical works into Syriac and studied and wrote about aromatics, both their physical properties, and their pharmacological effects.
Object number51.29
Credit LineEugene Fuller Memorial Collection
Dimensions9 7/8 x 15 3/4 x 4 1/4 in. (25.1x 40 x 10.8cm)
MediumMaiolica
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