Object Details
- Description
- This majolica drug jar is decorated with a painted garland of blue and purple flowers. Green leaves create an oval medallion outlined in yellow and black. The interior of the garland is marked, “BOLUS RUBER” in black, and the bottom of the jar is marked “HN.” A bolus is a large pill, and ruber would likely refer to the pill’s red color.
- Historian George Urdang attributes the containers 1991.0664.0760 through 1991.0664.0825 to Hanau in the late 18th century, based on the floral design surrounding the medallion and the initials HN on the bottom of many of the jars in the series. However, in a letter dated August 1983, the pharmaceutical history scholar Wolfgang Hagen Hein states that he believes the unmarked containers and those marked FH were made in Florsheim in the German state of Hesse.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Credit Line
- Gift of American Pharmaceutical Association and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
- 1790-1810
- 1775 - 1799
- ID Number
- 1991.0664.0798
- catalog number
- M-06010
- accession number
- 1991.0664
- collector/donor number
- SAP 722
- catalog number
- 1991.0664.0798
- Object Name
- jar
- jar
- Other Terms
- jar; Pharmaceutical Container
- Physical Description
- ceramic (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 16.2 cm x 11.3 cm; 6 3/8 in x 4 7/16 in
- overall: 6 1/2 in x 4 1/4 in; 16.51 cm x 10.795 cm
- place made
- Germany: Hesse, Hanau
- Related Publication
- Urdang, George and Ferdinand William Nitardy. The Squibb Ancient Pharmacy: A Catalogue of the Collection
- See more items in
- Medicine and Science: Medicine
- Health & Medicine
- European Apothecary
- Art
- National Museum of American History
- Subject
- Pharmacy
- Record ID
- nmah_993725
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a8-7f5b-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
