A pharmacy jar is a container made to store drugs, herbs, ointments, syrups and other preparations in a chemist's or apothecary's shop. Such jars were made in tin-glazed earthenware, porcelain, stoneware and glass, and are typically labelled with the name of their contents, often in abbreviated Latin.
The earliest European pharmacy jars include the Italian and Spanish maiolica albarello, a waisted cylindrical form introduced from the Islamic world, and wet drug jars with spouts for liquids. English and Dutch delftware jars of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries often carry painted cartouches with cherubs, birds or baskets of fruit around the label. In the nineteenth century, glass carboys, show globes and gilt-labelled bottles with ground stoppers became standard, and porcelain jars with transfer-printed labels were produced in large sets. Collectors look for an early date, a clear and interesting label, attractive decoration and good condition, as glaze loss and rim chips are common on earthenware examples. Complete matching sets and jars with known pharmacy provenance are especially desirable. Pharmacy jars are widely used today as decorative objects in kitchens, libraries and bathrooms, either singly or grouped on open shelving.
