Italian Ceramics: Catalogue of the J. Paul Getty Museum Collection

11 A Alternate view.

Gauging the volume of storage jars, particularly drug

jars, probably served to facilitate the sale or proper dis­

tribution of the jars' contents. The jars whose dimen­

sions are published fall into general groups according to

size: roughly one quarter of the jars measure between 17

and 18.5 cm high, slightly more than half of the jars mea­

sure between 21 and 25 cm high, and three measure be­

tween 27.5 and 33.5 cm high. Rather than simple height

measurements, however, it is the relative volume or ca­

pacity of jars that appears to be most significant. One

scholar has shown that the volume of jars belonging to a

verifiable set relate to one another proportionally. In ad­

dition, it seems that these measurements of capacity

11 B Detail of underside.

must have been regulated and identifiable in some way

and that they followed different measuring systems de­

pending on the place of production and use.^12

In addition to this jar, there are twenty-four other

known albarelli of similar form and related Kufic deco­

ration.^13 These include examples in the Victoria and

Albert Museum (inv. 1143-1904, 1147-1904, 1150-1904,

and 372-1889);^14 Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche,

Faenza (inv. 21100/C, 21058/C, and 24886);^15 Kunst-

gewerbemuseum, Berlin (inv. 14, 63);^16 Musee National

de Ceramique, Sevres (inv. 22667);^17 formerly Ducrot col­

lection, Paris,-^18 Museo Nazionale, Palazzo del Bargello,

Florence (inv. 13795); private collection, Florence,-^19

Jar with a Kufic Pattern ~f I