Getty Museum

Drug Jar for Persian Philonium

Date

about 1520–1540

Medium

Tin-glazed earthenware

Culture

Italian

Department

Decorative Arts

Institution

Getty Museum

According to its painted label, this tall, narrow drug jar held "Persian philonium," named after the first-century B.C. physician Philon of Tarsus. To relieve pain, induce sleep, prevent miscarriages, and reduce the pain of hemorrhoids and of heavy menstruation, pharmacists offered this drug, made from such ingredients as opium, saffron, white pepper, pearls, and amber. Unsigned and undated pieces such as this drug jar were used daily in Renaissance pharmacies and households. Since they were easily broken and chipped with use, relatively few survive today. This drug jar is unusual both for its good condition and for its decoration of fruit and leafy arabesques on a light blue ground.

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