Drug Jar thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Ceramics, Room 137, The Curtain Foundation Gallery

Drug Jar

1540 (dated)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

One of a pair of drug jars. Rope moulding in relief near the mouth and base. Painted in dark blue, orange, yellow, copper green and opaque white. Justice is seated with a sword and scales and a man in classical dress (perhaps Orpheus). Both are decorated on either side with a polychrome figure-subject in a circular medallion reserved amongst a composition of symmetrical grotesques repeated on each side but differing on the two jars, with a wavy ribbon above and below on no. c.2108-1920 (Rackham no. 303), above only on no. c.2107-1910 (Rackham no. 304).


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Tin-glazed earthenware
Brief description
Large drug jar, tin-glazed earthenware depicting Orpheus playing the violin with the figure of Iustitia, Faenza Berettino ware, dated 1540
Physical description
One of a pair of drug jars. Rope moulding in relief near the mouth and base. Painted in dark blue, orange, yellow, copper green and opaque white. Justice is seated with a sword and scales and a man in classical dress (perhaps Orpheus). Both are decorated on either side with a polychrome figure-subject in a circular medallion reserved amongst a composition of symmetrical grotesques repeated on each side but differing on the two jars, with a wavy ribbon above and below on no. c.2108-1920 (Rackham no. 303), above only on no. c.2107-1910 (Rackham no. 304).
Dimensions
  • Height: 39.5cm
  • Depth: 33cm
Gallery label
Drug jar depicting Orpheus playing the violin with the figure of Iustitia dated 1540 Tin-glazed earthenware C.2108-1910(16/07/2008)
Credit line
Bequeathed by George Salting, Esq.
Production
J mallet, 05/2003
Same set as 2107-1910, but slightly different. Well painted grotesques, probably genuine. Dated 1540. Depicting figure of Orpheus playing the violin and Iustitia.
Subjects depicted
Bibliographic reference
Rackham, Bernard. Catalogue of Italian Maiolica, London : H.M.S.O., 1977
Other number
303 - Rackham (1977)
Collection
Accession number
C.2108-1910

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Record createdJuly 16, 2008
Record URL
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