Pharmacy bottles that lined the shelves of Renaissance pharmacies often held medicinal herbs, spices, and ointments. The inscription on this bottle reads SCABIOS, or "scabious water," which may refer to a teasel root compound that was used to clean and decontaminate velvet.
Credit: Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
c. 1500-1510
Tin-glazed earthenware (maiolica)
38.8cm
1943.52.1
Image and text: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2023
Where you'll find this
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Permanent collection