OL PHILOSOPH

18th century

This square-shaped blown and molded apothecary jar with a baked enamel label is marked <i>OL PHILOSOPH</i> or Philosopher’s Oil, a mixtured of oil and brick. The European Apothecary Collection contains dozens of drug jars with this same embellishment. The generic blue and yellow decoration with its stylized crown above the cartouche is similar to glass drug jars in the collection of the Deutsche Apotheken Museum in Heidelberg, Germany.