Albarello. Southern Italy, ca.1560-1570.

Albarello. Southern Italy, ca.1560-1570.
Glazed ceramic.
In a good state of preservation.
Measurements: 36.5 x 27 x 27 cm.
Important enamelled ceramic albarelo from the Renaissance period. The Renaissance was the golden age of the albarelos or pharmacy jars, especially in Italy and Spain. Italian cities such as Faenza, Urbino and Palermo became hubs of albarello manufacture. The excellent piece shown here, in which the blue and yellow tones stand out, reflects the advances of the period in terms of representational complexity. While schematic drawings of oriental origin and chromatic reduction were initially predominant, here the polychromy and iconography have been enriched, presenting a more elaborate aesthetic: vegetal decoration based on borders coexist with figurative representations (a character inscribed on a cartouche and a pair of putti, characteristic of the Italian Cinquecento). The inclusion of a painted label containing the name of the product ("morphine", as we read) is also typical of the period. Thus, throughout the 16th century, animals, portraits, historical scenes, allegories and other themes appear. The albarello has a long history, dating back to Persian ceramics. They reached Europe in the Muslim-influenced areas of al-Andalus and Sicily, via Syria and Egypt. The etymology of the word suggests that its origin comes from 'al-barani' or, in other words, a drug vessel. These ceramics were very popular among apothecaries, but they had certain functional requirements, including a notched shape, a wide mouth and a flat base, and above all the use of glaze.