Fragile Masterpieces: Ceramics in the Renaissance Pharmacy

Description

The exhibition explores the interfaces between science, art, health, and globalization in early modern Europe from the 15th to 17th centuries, using pharmacy vessels as an example. Albarelli are the iconic pharmacy vessels of the Italian Renaissance. Pharmacists used them for storing their ingredients and preparing medicines. Their artistic decoration makes these ceramics masterpieces of craftsmanship and technology of their time and shapes the image of the pharmacy for centuries. They show the pharmacy as part of an intertwined trade and knowledge community. The pharmacy vessels allowed a select group of people to project their authority and dominance over knowledge and practice amid the rapidly advancing pharmaceutical and medical developments. Focusing on the materiality of the vessels, the exhibition shows the continuous search for new insights and technologies, as well as the exchange networks of raw materials and knowledge. Albarelli are a characteristic example of experimenting and transforming raw materials, linking ceramic workshops with pharmacy practices. For the first time, the Majolica collection of the Pharmacy Museum is dedicated a special exhibition connected with current research. It includes not only art and pharmacy history but also scientific research, examining decoration and glazing.

Highlights

• Special exhibition on pharmacy vessels of the Italian Renaissance
• Connection of art, science, and health
• First time in the Majolica collection of the Pharmacy Museum

General Information

The exhibition "Fragile Masterpieces" at the Pharmaceutical History Museum of the University of Basel highlights the role of pharmacy vessels in early modern Europe. It shows how these artistically designed objects shaped the development of knowledge and practice in pharmacy.

Location

Totengässlein 3, 4051 Basel, Switzerland

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