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Pill-tile: C.1378-1928

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Current Location: In storage

Maker(s)

Pottery: unidentified London pottery

Entities

Categories

Description

Buff earthenware, tin-glazed on the front and painted in blue and manganese-purple. Octagonal with two suspension holes at the top. Painted on the front with a simplified version of the arms of the Worshipfull Company of Apothecaries with the motto 'OPIFERQUE PER ORBEM DICOR' in manganese on a curved ribbon below

Notes

History note: Said to have come from Burnham Hall, near Wells, Norfolk; Mr Elliott, an antique dealer at Heacham, near Hunstanton, Norfolk, from whom bought on 17 April, 1900 by Dr J.W.L. Glaisher, FRS, Trinity College, Cambridge.

Legal notes

Dr J.W.L. Glaisher Bequest

Measurements and weight

Depth: 1.7 cm
Height: 29.7 cm
Width: 23.8 cm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1928-12-07) by Glaisher, J. W. L., Dr

Dating

18th Century, third quarter
Circa 1750 CE - 1775 CE

Note

The latin motto of the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries was taken from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Book I:521-2 where Apollo says, ‘inventum medicina meum est, opiferque per orbem dicor, et herbarum subiecta potentia nobis ei mihi’ (I am called Help-Bringer throughout the world and all the potency of herbs is given unto me).

Components of the work

Decoration composed of high-temperature colour ( blue from cobalt)
Front composed of tin-glaze

Materials used in production

buff Earthenware

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: OPIFERQUE PER ORBEM DICOR
  • Location: On ribbon below arms
  • Method of creation: Painted in manganese-purple
  • Type: Inscription

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.1378-1928
Primary reference Number: 71891
Old object number: 1082

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Tuesday 26 March 2024

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Pill-tile" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/71891 Accessed: 2025-12-05 03:54:57

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/71891 |title=Pill-tile |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-05 03:54:57|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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