Hyoscy Apothecary Bottle

Unknown British, British

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late 18th to early 19th century

Amethyst glass with gold leaf label

Overall: 16 × 10 in. (40.6 × 25.4 cm)

Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Gift of Marie-Elaine Tefft, Trustee, in memory of Thomas E. Tefft and his son, Stanton E. Tefft

2022.64

Geography

Place Made: England, Europe

Period

18th century

Object Name

Vessel

Research Area

Decorative Arts

Not on view

Label

Likely made and used in Britain, this large amethyst apothecary bottle was handblown by a glassmaker, an amazing feat given its size and remarkable evenness. Glass is made from sand that is melted in fires over 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. In this state, it looks like a gel-like liquid, which can be blown and shaped before hardening into glass. The goldleaf label on this bottle for Hyoscy, known today as hyoscyamine, is a medicine still used to treat digestive problems, but it can be poisonous if consumed in large doses. An apothecary shop keeper would have dispensed small amounts to customers from this large bottle.

From the 2023 exhibition Liquidity: Art, Commodities, and Water, curated by Michael Hartman, Jonathan Little Cohen Associate Curator of American Art


Course History

First Year Student Enrichment Program - Cultures, Identities and Belongings, Francine A'Ness, Summer 2023

Anthropology 55.01, Anthropology of Global Health, Anne Sosin, Fall 2023

Anthropology 55.01, Anthropology of Global Health, Anne Sosin, Fall 2023

Art History 40.01, American Art and Identity, Mary Coffey, Fall 2023

Creative Writing 10.02, Writing and Reading Fiction, Katherine Crouch, Fall 2023

Geography 11.01, Qualitative Methods, Emma Colven, Fall 2023

Geography 2.01, Introduction to Human Geography, Coleen Fox, Fall 2023

Geography 31.01, Postcolonial Geographies, Erin Collins, Fall 2023

English 30.01, African and African American Studies 34.01, Early Black American LIterature, Michael Chaney, Winter 2024

Writing 5.06, Image and Text, Becky Clark, Winter 2024

Writing 5.07, Image and Text, Becky Clark, Winter 2024

Exhibition History

Liquidity: Art, Commodities, and Water, Israel Sack Gallery and the Rush Family Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, July 29, 2023-November 24, 2024.

Provenance

Thomas E. Tefft; to his son, Stanton E. Tefft and his wife Marie-Elaine Tefft, Bedford, New Hampshire; given to present collection, 2022.

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