Cylindrically-shaped and having a wide mouth, this albarello or pot à canon is a Maiolica jar possibly dating back to the 17th century. It is very likely that this is one of the numerous medicinal vases that once furnished the wooden shelves of the pharmacy or ‘spezieria’ of the Sacra Infermeria, built by the Religious, Military and Hospitaller Order of St John, in Valletta. This tin-glazed earthenware vessel is decorated with hand-painted deep blue elaborate foliage and linear designs on an opaque white background. Stringing the shoulder and bottom part of this jar is a continuous ochre-coloured spiral motif. Had it not been for the symbolic serpent curling round the trunk of the central palm tree and the label bearing the acronym, ‘RAD: RHEI’, this jar’s original medicinal purpose would not have been recognised.
Comments