Italy, Papal States, Faenza / c. 1500–1510
Pharmacy Bottle
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Pharmacy Bottle as ceramic (Italy, Papal States, Faenza · c. 1500–1510).
During the Renaissance, aristocrats tested the speed and agility of their greyhounds in a sport called "hare coursing."
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this ceramic as tin-glazed earthenware (maiolica).
The museum's collection notes: 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.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtPharmacy BottleOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.