Topic: Walsh Vesta Venetian Apothecary Jar in Orange / Opalescent

[krsilber]

Rambling around the internet, I discovered that they first appeared in Baghdad in the late Middle Ages, hence the Oriental appearance.

This is intriguing.  What were they made of?  And what shape?  Do you have a link that shows photos of them?  If they're Persian they might have some nice decoration.  Or not.

Looking at what are called apothecary jars on ebay, it's clear that people are willing to call practically anything with a lid and foot an apothecary jar.  One guy got so frustrated about it he wrote an ebay guide, "THE FACTS (AND FICTION) ABOUT APOTHECARY JARS" but who knows how factual it really is.  Still, he makes some good points.

What is known in the US as apothecary jars seems to refer more a shape than actual use in an apothecary.  Ivo - did the dealers mean they were actually used in apothecaries?  That would surprise me, since you can't see the contents, they would be quite top-heavy when full, and they have feet.  I can understand jars having feet if used to display things, but then why would they be grey?  Usually photo-sensitive stuff was in dark amber jars, since they could use iron to color them.

Bernard's jar kind of reminds me of a variant on a covered pokal.

[Bernard C]

Julie — I spent a happy half hour rooting around our kitchen and bathroom looking for possible candidates, with little success.   It doesn't really work with liquids, and non-flowing solids like spaghetti and vanilla pods could get jammed in the bulbous bottom (interesting humorous sales pitch there!).   Wider shapes with larger openings in clear glass are described on US websites as Apothecary / Candy Jars, but this shape is too narrow for confectionery other than the likes of sugared almonds, black bullets, and aniseed balls, and you really need to see what's inside.   I don't think cotton wool was sold in balls until comparatively recently, possibly the 1970s as you say, at least not here in Britain, as I remember it came in a large roll and you tore off a piece, but wouldn't cotton balls get jammed in the bottom?

Which is how I arrived at Bath Salts.   QED.

Bernard C.  

[Bernard C]

Kristi — This topic is about the covered jar above, not problems of popular nomenclature on eBay.com.   Please keep roughly to the topic.   Large diversions from the topic become topic-wrecking tactics, whether intended or not, as I and others just abandon it as a waste of effort, and so the effective pursuit of useful information is lost, and all the effort that I and others have put in is wasted.  And if Ivo Haanstra says that the shape was derived from an apothecary jar, then that's good enough for me.

Bernard Cavalot

Mod: Post cleaned up in accordance with Board Guidelines.

[Bernard C]

Thanks, moderators, for revising the title of this topic.

Bernard C. 

[krsilber]

Evidently I didn't make myself clear, because I was indeed on topic, discussing your piece.  My point is that even if its general shape is based on an apothecary jar, I think it unlikely this was actually used as such.  Ivo, too, said "derived from" the shape.  My other point its that many items called apothecary jars are not actually like the ones that were used as such, and that it's possible yours is based on the shape of such a "pseudo-apothecary jar."

Mod: Post edited to remove text no longer relevant following editing of Bernard's post.

[aa]

Were fairy lamps used by fairies? I wouldn't like to disillusion anyone, but I suspect not. However, I am by no means an expert on fairy lamps, so I could be wrong.   There is, however, a certain kind of candle-holder or night light known as a fairy lamp. These have certain characteristics, which essentially boil down to there being two parts - a lamp base and shade, but this does not mean that every two part lamp is a fairy lamp.


With apologies to Jim Sapp for making light of fairy lamps. http://www.fairy-lamp.com/

[krsilber]

Talk about off-topic!   Kidding - I think you're making a relevant point here, but not quite sure what.  Is it that an item doesn't have to be intended for apothecaries in order to be called an apothecary jar?  Or that not every jar of a particular shape is actually an apothecary jar?

What would Walsh have called it?

hee hee, "making light of fairy lamps"   

[Lustrousstone]

We probably don't know what Walsh called it, there is very little documentary evidence about their stuff, most of it has disappeared.

[JC]

Bernard we had Cotton Balls down here in the 70's. And it was popular to buy the packets of coloured cotton Balls. The packet had  a mix of pink, blue and white.
I had the same shape Jar as yours, but in clear glass.It was a gift to me when I had my first child. So I am unsure if it was purchased like that filled with the cotton balls.
I did have a   cased glass one, orange  with white glass,    here but I can't find it.Though if I am remembering correctly that one wasn't footed, same style lid though.
  BTW love that one you have
Julie