Montelupo - Pot - Earthenware - albarello (a small apothecary jar)

Pharmacy albarello in majolica with a decoration "A Fogliame"

Italy, Tuscany, Montelupo, late 17th/early 18th century

Important pharmacy jar of the albarello type in glazed earthenware (majolica). It features a classic biconcave shape, known as a "wasp waist", facilitating grip on the shelves of old apothecary shops.

The body is adorned with a decor of broad stylized leaves painted in intense cobalt blue, arranged vertically. The shoulder and the base are outlined by horizontal blue bands. On the upper part (the neck), there is a frieze of serpentiform motifs in yellow antimony, providing a chromatic contrast typical of Italian workshops of the late Renaissance.

Good overall condition for an object of this age. Presence of glaze skips on the neck and base, as well as glaze wear (craquelure), testifying to its authenticity and historical use. No restorations.

Height 23 cm

(The combination of monumental blue decoration and secondary polychromy is typical of Italian productions influenced by Iberian currents in the Renaissance. Although Spanish Talavera productions show similarities, its decor a fogliame (blue foliage) is executed with a broad touch and cobalt in slight relief characteristic of Montelupo. Unlike Spanish pieces, which often use a very opaque white glaze and more graphic outlines, here we find the transparency of Italian majolica and the classic use of antimony yellow on the shoulder. The morphology of the foot, short and edged with bands, confirms this attribution to the workshops of the peninsula.)