These four images, borrowed from and copyrighted by © Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza, are indicative of albarello development.  The last jar is the closest match to the Voynich jars, since it comes with a lid.  The lidded versions and the streamlined design were later 15th century in Germany, about 1490 in Holland, and from about 1490 to to middle 16th century in England, since they were imported to England by Holland artisans.

 

The albarello (or alberello) is the oldest type of pharmacy jar, designed to contain dense, viscous substances. Most albarelli were cylinder-shaped with a wide opening. They were often tapered at the center for easier handling. In the earliest models, the lids consisted of parchment sheets, but later versions had ceramic lids, sometimes fitted with a knob and handles. The Near Eastern style raises the possibility that the albarello reached the West via the Arab invasion of the Mediterranean. But some experts see the albarello as an imitation of the bamboo packaging in which medicinal drugs were shipped from the Orient.

Photo of ornately decorated medicine jar16th century Italian drug jar or albarello decorated with a portrait of Galen, the prominent ancient Greek physician. Courtesy of the Museum of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society

© Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

15th century albarello jar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Almost identical jar, period DERUTA, beginning of the 16th century

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tabl menthae jarThis jar, imported from West Germany, is typical of the classic German apothecary jar: simple, generally with only floral or geometric lines. Majolica vessels were used much later in Germany than in Italy. There is evidence of the establishment of German pharmacies in the 15th century, and many German factories produced apothecary jars in stoneware.