Pharmacy jar (albarello)
Italian, probably Naples or environs
Not on view
Male busts in profile—one youthful, one mature—appear on the front of these two albarelli (see also 46.85.14), while the backs are painted with a graceful floriated design. Given their close similarity, it seems likely that the jars belonged to a single pharmacy set, which might originally have included dozens, if not hundreds, of vessels. In the absence of labels, the different physiognomies could help the merchant distinguish one jar from the next.
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