16
Drug Jar for Syrup
of Lemon Juice
Probably Pesaro or possibly Kingdom of
Naples (Naples or Sciacca)
ca. 1480
Tin-glazed earthenware
H: 31.5 cm (i2^3 /s in.)
Diam (at lip): 11.1 cm (4^3 /s in.)
Diam (max.): 12.4 cm (4% in.)
84.DE.104
MARKS AND INSCRIPTIONS
On the banderole, S. ACETOSITATI CIT[RUS].
CONDITION
Slightly abraded glaze at the rim; minor flaws in
the glaze at the base.
PROVENANCE
Alfred Pringsheim, Munich, by 1913; looted from
Pringsheim's collection by the Nazis during
Kristallnacht, November 9, 1938; stored in an an
nex of the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Munich;
ordered exported to London by the German State
in 1938 for sale at auction in exchange for allow
ing Pringsheim and his wife to emigrate to
Switzerland (sold, Sotheby's, London, June 7,
1939 , lot 9, to "A. Recher" [according to sale cat.notation]); A. Recher,- Charles Damiron, Lyons, by
1944; by inheritance to Paul Damiron (sold,
Sotheby's, London, November 22, 1983, lot 212);
[Rainer Zietz, Ltd., London, sold to the J. Paul
Getty Museum, 1984].
EXHIBITIONS
None.BIBLIOGRAPHY
Falke 1914-23, 1: no. 22, pi. 15; Hannover 1925,
1: fig. 117 (mistakenly identified as in the Louvre);
Damiron 1944, no. 27,- GettyMusf 13 (1985): 241,
no. 161; Hess 1988A, no. 17,- Cohen and Hess
1993 , 27,- Museum Handbook 2001, 237,- Sum
mary Catalogue 2001, no. 355.THIS WAISTED DRUG VESSEL displays a label indicating
it was meant to hold syrupus acetositatis cithomm, or
syrup of lemon juice. The label is bordered above and be
low with scrolling leaves [a cartoccio) in blue, green,
ocher, and manganese purple. Meandering foliage in blue
runs around the neck and the area above the foot. The in
terior is lead glazed.
The lemon was widely used for pharmaceutical pur
poses throughout the Mediterranean, possibly as early as
the second century, in fever reducers, tonics, antiscorbu
tics, diuretics, and astringents.^1 Prospero Borgarucci
described the preparation and use of syrup of lemon juice
(which he called sciroppo d'acetosita di cedro) in his
Delia fabrica de gli spetiali. According to Borgarucci,
this syrup served to reduce inflammations of the viscera,
calm fevers (especially the "poisonous and pestilential
fevers of the summer"), quench thirst, and help counter
act drunkenness and dizziness.^2
Tall, slender albarelli with so-called Gothic floral
decoration—such as scrolling leaves and peacock-
feather eyes—appear to have originated in two main
areas of production: Pesaro and the Kingdom of Naples.
The Kingdom of Naples during the late fifteenth century
comprised the area around Naples as well as Sicily (also
united by the Kingdom of Two Sicilies under the
Aragonese). Among the only ways of securing the origin
of maiolica pieces is the matching of decorative motifs
and ceramic shapes to those found on shards from kiln
site excavations and on objects documented as belonging
to certain centers of production. These methods bring us
to the two areas mentioned above—which are remark
ably distinct politically and geographically—but no fur
ther. It seems plausible that there was some sort of
movement of ceramics or ceramists between these two
areas. Indeed, this matter is either explained or confused
by the fact that in Sicily maiolica painters copied deco
ration developed in and typical of other parts of Italy—
such as Urbino, Castel Durante, Faenza, and, especially
Venice—for local maiolica decoration.^3
The Getty jar can be grouped together with two
comparable drug jars because of the similarity of the
form and decoration, particularly the idiosyncratic neck
and foot motifs. One of the two jars, decorated with pea
cock feathers and bearing a painted label, appeared with
the Getty piece at auction in 1983 and is presently in the
Musee National de Ceramique, Sevres (inv. MNC 25141;
fig. 16 C); another, likewise with painted label but with
delicate scrolling foliage, rosettes, and dotted back
ground, was published in 1949 as formerly in the Gira-
sole collection, Naples (fig. I6D).^4 This small group of
three jars, which must have originated in the same cen
ter of production, share specific motifs and, in one case,
the shape of an albarello neck and lip, found on frag
ments from a Pesarese excavation.^590