Drug jar

The original English dry drug jar was made in tin glazed earthenware and is of the type often described as "London," or even "Lambeth Delftware." Many of the small potteries that made such jars were established along the south bank of the River Thames, very near to the Society's present headquarters at 1 Lambeth High Street. The original jar is rare in that its fine decoration is worked in a number of colours beside the basic blue. The inscription on the jar, C:CORT: AUR, is an abbreviation of the Latin Conditus Cortex Aurantiorum, meaning candied orange peel. This was used for flavour and as a mild stomachic, to warm and strengthen the stomach. The replica jars are 16cm high.
Price: £56

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Syrup jar

The original syrup jar is also "Lambeth Delftware." It is in the more traditional blue and white style of pots, directly influenced by Dutch designs. The jar is a fine, dated "wet" or "syrup" jar with a spout for pouring out its liquid contents. The inscription on the jar, S ROSAR. CU AG, is an abbreviation of the Latin Syrupus Rosaceus Solutivus cum Agarico, solutive syrup of rose with agaric. It was used to treat a variety of conditions including scurvy, and as an astringent. The replica jars are 18cm high.
Price: £86

Pill jar

The original jar was made in tin-glazed earthenware, or delftware.  The original jar is rare in that its decoration is in a variety of colours alongside the usual blue. The inscription on the jar, P COCH MAJ, is an abbreviation of the Latin for cochia major pills. These were used as a strong laxative, with the ingredients hiera pica, alhandal troches, diagrydium, turpeth and syrup of buckthorn. The initials I.P. are those of the apothecary who commissioned the jar, and the date 1723 the year of its manufacture. The design features cherubs and shells. The jar is 8.5cm high.
Price: £25

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Viper lozenges jar

The original jar was made in tin-glazed earthenware, or delftware. The inscription on the jar, T DE VIPER, is an abbreviation of the Latin for viper lozenges. Often from Venice, they were renowned throughout Europe in the 1600s to prevent the plague and as an antidote to poisons. Their main use was as one of the many ingredients in the various Theriacs or treacles. Their ingredients included viper flesh boiled with salt and dill seed with white bread, kneaded into a paste with oil of nutmeg. The jar is decorated in blue with Apollo, the god of medicine, and two peacocks, and the original dates from around 1675-1700. The jar is 8.5cm high.
Price: £25

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Coral lozenges jar

The original jar was made in tin-glazed earthenware, or delftware. The inscription on the jar, T DE CARABE, is an abbreviation of the Latin for coral trochisi or lozenges. Coral lozenges predominantly contained amber, but also red coral, alongside a long list of ingredients including burnt hartshorn, gum arabic, gum tragacanth, acacia, black poppy seeds, frankincense, saffron, and opium. They were made into lozenges by mixing with a mucilage of fleawort seeds made in plaintain-water. They were taken to treat haemorrhages and spitting blood. The jar is dated 1674, and its design in blue shows an angel with outspread wings, a popular motif for this period. The jar is 8.5cm high
Price: £25

Extract jar

The original jar was made in tin-glazed earthenware, or delftware. The inscription on the jar, EXT CORT PERU, is an abbreviation of the Latin for extract of Peruvian bark. In the 1700s, when the original jar was made, the uses of Peruvian bark or cinchona were still much debated in medical circles. Peruvian bark was primarily used to treat fevers in this period. It was not recognised as a treatment for malaria until more than a century later. The jar is decorated in blue with songbirds. The jar is 8.5cm high.
Price: £25

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