Blue and white faience albarello with designs derived from Kufic script Toscane 2nd half 15th century

An albarello (plural: ''albarelli'') is a type of

maiolica Maiolica is tin-glazed pottery decorated in colours on a white background. Italian maiolica dating from the Renaissance period is the most renowned. When depicting historical and mythical scenes, these works were known as ''istoriato'' wares ...

earthenware jar, originally a medicinal jar designed to hold apothecaries' ointments and dry drugs. The development of this type of pharmacy jar had its roots in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

during the time of the Islamic conquests.

History

The etymology of the word is not clear. Some scholars argue that it derives from the Latin word ''"albaris"'' with the meaning of "whitish" while others criticize this interpretation because these jars were originally manufactured in wood. A piece of parchment would overlap the upper half of the jar in order to be affixed with a cord and properly seal the contents. The parchment was white, or bleached white, so that the contents of the jar could be written upon it. ''Albarelli'' were brought to Italy by Hispano-Moresque traders, and the earliest Italian examples were produced in Florence in the 15th century. ''Albarelli'' were made in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

from the first half of the 15th century through to the late 18th century and beyond. Based on Persian designs said to emulate bamboo (the traditional manufacturing material), the jars are usually cylindrical with a slightly concave waist. Variations in size and style can be seen from region to region, ranging from 10 cm to 40 cm in height. Such jars served both functional and decorative purposes in traditional apothecaries and pharmacies, and represented status and wealth. The jars were generally sealed with a piece of

parchment Parchment is a writing material made from specially prepared untanned skins of animals—primarily sheep, calves, and goats. It has been used as a writing medium for over two millennia. Vellum is a finer quality parchment made from the skins ...

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hog ...

tied with a piece of cord. The maiolica potters' preoccupation with ornamentation and design is nowhere more in evidence than on ''albarelli'' during the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

. Common design themes include floral motifs against a white background, to more elaborate designs such as portraits of a

cherub A cherub (; plural cherubim; he, כְּרוּב ''kərūḇ'', pl. ''kərūḇīm'', likely borrowed from a derived form of akk, 𒅗𒊏𒁍 ''karabu'' "to bless" such as ''karibu'', "one who blesses", a name for the lamassu) is one of the ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

, and can include a label describing the contents of the jar. Specific styles of decoration are now associated with various Italian locations, including

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, Gerace and

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The city is noted for its ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

Literature

* Henry Wallis: ''The Albarello'', London 1904 File:Swatow porcelain albarello blue and white Ming before 1600.jpg,

Swatow porcelain Swatow ware or Zhangzhou ware is a loose grouping of mainly late Ming dynasty Chinese export porcelain wares initially intended for the Southeast Asian market. The traditional name in the West arose because Swatow, or present-day Shantou, was th ...

albarello, blue and white

Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han pe ...

, before 1600. File:Albarello with head of a Turk Faenza 1555.jpg, Albarello with head of a

Turk Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic languages * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic o ...

Faenza Faenza (, , ; rgn, Fènza or ; la, Faventia) is an Italian city and comune of 59,063 inhabitants in the province of Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, situated southeast of Bologna. Faenza is home to a historical manufacture of majolica-ware glazed ea ...

, 1555. Image:Craigs 006.JPG , Albarello made in the workshop of Maestro della farmacia Mastroieni, Gerace, Calabria, c. 1650.Donatone, Guido 1983. Ceramica Antica Di Calabria, Isveiemer, Italy Image:Albarello007.JPG , Reverse File:Castel Durante albarello CPLH 53.40.10.JPG, Castel Durante, c. 1550-55 ( California Palace of the Legion of Honor)

References

{{Reflist History of ceramics Italian pottery Ceramic art Pharmacy Ceramics of medieval Europe Pottery shapes

History

Literature

See also

References