Pill Slab
CultureEnglish
Dateca. 1700
MediumEarthenware with tin glaze (delftware)
DimensionsOverall: 12 inches (30.48 cm)
Credit LineGift of Frank P. Burnap
Object number55-19
On View
On viewGallery Location
- 112
Collections
DescriptionUnique oval slab painted in blue on white with the arms and motto of the Apothecaries Company and the arms of the City of London.Gallery LabelMade for the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, these ceramic objects served commercial purposes. While functional pill slabs were used for rolling out a pharmaceutical mixture into pills, this slab's lack of wear and degree of decoration indicate that it was most likely hung as a decorative shop sign. Both pieces display the apothecary's armorial featuring Apollo, the Greek god of healing, triumphantly defeating the dragon of disease and the apothecary's motto: "Opiferque per orbem dicor" (The art of medicine is my discovery). The pair of unicorns and the rhinoceros in between allude to the animals' horns' healing powers.
Mr. Frank P. Burnap (1861-1957), Kansas City, MO by 1955;
His gift to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1955.
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