Antique French Apothecary Jar

Antique French Apothecary Jar – “Pulp: de Tam:”
France, c. 19th century
12" H with lid, 8" H without lid, 4.75" diameter

This tall porcelain apothecary jar once belonged to a French pharmacy, where jars like this lined the walls behind the counter, each labeled with its contents in Latin or abbreviated French. The inscription “Pulp: de Tam:” refers to tamarind pulp, a botanical ingredient historically used for digestive remedies and purgatives. Apothecary jars of this style were both functional and decorative, speaking to a period when pharmacies were seen as places of learning, refinement, and even beauty.

The neoclassical gold shield and scalloped banding evoke the restrained elegance of the Empire and Louis Philippe periods, when classical motifs such as laurel, medallions, and architectural symmetry were favored. The refined silhouette, with its flared base and domed lid topped by a finial, reflects the 19th-century French appreciation for proportion and ornamentation grounded in utility.

The jar shows surface wear and a visible chip to the inner rim, but remains structurally sound and visually striking. It retains its original lid, which is often missing on examples from this period. This is a beautiful piece for anyone drawn to the aesthetic of 19th-century French pharmacies—spaces where science, medicine, and design coexisted with a certain timeless dignity.

Today, it can be repurposed to hold cotton rounds or bath salts in a powder room, used as a container for long kitchen matches or dried herbs, or simply left empty on a shelf where its history speaks for itself.