English and European Ceramics and Glass - 02 May 2018
An early delftware dry drug or pill jar c.1680
An early delftware dry drug or pill jar c.1680, painted in blue with an angel with outstretched wings above a banner inscribed 'P: EX: DUOBUS', the glaze degraded, 9.6cm high.
The surface of the glaze suggests that this jar has been submerged in water for some time and may have come from a shipwreck. It contained purgative pills prepared from colocynth and scammony, which would have been used to treat a broad range of conditions, probably to little effect.