Apothecary vessel for blessed thistle water

myminifactory

The maiolica pharmacy jug is decorated with an orange, blue, and green plant ornament. It is worth noting the unusual handle - parallel (not perpendicular) to the jug's body - thanks to which it was possible to lift and carry such a large and heavy vessel using a lowered hand. Under the handle, there is a mascaron head, resembling that of a lion. In the front, above the name of the drug, there is a half-moon and a star, indicating Mauritanian connections (Maiolica vessels were created under the influence of Mauritanian-Spanish ceramics, imported to Italy through Majorca [hence the name]). What was stored in the vessel? According to the inscription on the ribbon, it was A [QUA] DI CARDO - blessed thistle water - that is, a water distillation of a cnicus. The plant ( Cnicus benedictusin Latin) was known in the past as Carduus sanctus - “holy thistle” - due to the numerous healing properties attributed to it, especially in the period from the 16 th to the 18 th century: “it removes every headache, strengthens memory, strengthens the brain and eyes, (...) cleanses the stomach, activates appetite, enlarges breasts, takes away a stomach-ache, (...) crushes the kidney stone, destroys pimples in a can cumbering the wind, (.. .) it is also helpful against uterus wringing, also will please the heart ”.The vessel, from a collection of pharmacy ceramics, was donated to the museum by the Master of Pharmacy, Mateusz Bronisław Grabowski, from London in 1976.