Tessera per la teriaca

[apollonia]

The other side is like this?

[jjohn]

No, the other side is flat (its a cap).

[jjohn]

[apollonia]

Il 14/11/2019 alle 14:21, jjohn dice:

My impression is that it represents a kneeling person and that the image does not reproduce the sign of a spetiaria but the face of a coin/medal with O . 7 (Z) in exergue.

The inscription along the edge can give us information about the medicine in the sealed container and the spetiaria that dispensed it. Unfortunately, I can't read it from the photo.

[jjohn]

Unfortunately I have only a photo available. Another possibility is that these are the initials of OZ (Orazio Zattabella, pharmacist at the San Girolamo ...).

[apollonia]

From the comparison with the seal cap at the post # 716, the attribution to the spetiaria at the San Girolamo is reliable.

It is not to be excluded the hypothesis of the initials of the apothecary in exergue, although it would be the first example to my knowledge of this notation.

By the end of the sixteenth century, Venice’s most observant urban ethnographer, Tommaso Garzoni, humorously celebrated the new economy in his Universal Piazza of all the world’s professions (1585), which ranged across the board from physicians, apothecaries, and notaries, to prostitutes, street sweepers, tavern owners, and medical charlatans. In the pages of Garzoni’s encyclopedia, the exercise of a profession was not merely a matter of corporate affiliation, but also of public performance. Among the Venetian apothecaries Garzoni noted by name as men of “much learning and science” in medicinal matters were Georg Melich at the Ostrich, Nicolo at the Pine Cone, Galeazzo at the Coral, Oratio Zattabella at the Saint Jerome, and Giovan Giacomo at the Phoenix.27 All of these figures were leading founders of the College of Apothecaries established in 1565.

 

[jjohn]

I agree, but maybe the initials of pharmacists are more frequent. What about the letters PR around the ostrich in the case of Struzzo pharmacy?

[apollonia]

Please let me see the Ostrich pharmacy seal lid with the letters PR and possibly other lids with similar initials.

[jjohn]

I think they are quite common. Paolo Romani is a pretty good candidate in my opinion.

[apollonia]

Paolo Romani, Giorgio Melichio's pupil and successor in the Ostrich speziaria, is known for having developed a formulation of syrups to sweeten the intake of these medicines with an often nauseating taste.

Assuming that the letters on the capsule are the initials of the apothecary, it is very likely that it is a personalized seal cap for Paolo Romani's syrups, and therefore that it has nothing to do with teriaca.

In this case the word TERIACA should be absent from the inscription.

In any case, if the initials of the apothecary on the capsules of teriaca are as common as you say, I'll wait to see other examples.

[julmin1]

Cari triacanti,

to posts #732-735:

As to other theriac lids with letters/initials of the speciali (?) see for example (according to my archives): Struzzo/Ostrich: with DO RO (perhaps Domenico Romani ?), Madonna with: I H, S K, S M, Z M, F P; Testa/Golden Head, large piece of 1603 and later issue of 1862/1869 (?!): with V C (in a detoriated version also on the balkan-barbarizations of the prototype of 1603), further a testa-piece of probably the nineteenth century: with NTH (in ominous gothic letters). On the Struzzo-lids with P R (Paolo Romani ?) there very well appears the term THERIACA as to see on the attatched illustration: why should P R besides his syrups not have been busy also with theriac?

Tanti saluti/best regards, julmin1

[apollonia]

@julmin1

Ciao and thank you for the photo of the Struzzo-lid where the term THERIACA appears very well.

The speciali that have followed one another in the management of the Ostrich's speciaria after Giorgio Melichio, who died in 1585, are his pupil Paolo Romani, then Alberto Stecchini and, after his death in 1631, Antonio de Sgobbis.

Tanti saluti da apollonia

[jjohn]

Hi julmin,

thank you for more examples of initials! When I saw for the first time letter DO RO on Ostrich caps, I thought it was a part of the pharmacy name (Struzzo D´ORO). Do you have any source for existence of Domenico Romani?

[julmin1]

Hello jjohn,

the "Domenico Romani" was a mere sounding balloon. I am too far from the (Venetian) sources of this matter. Indeed you also can try to read the letters "DO - RO" as "d'oro" and to connect them with the circular inscription which, however, seems to be complete without the mention of the "gold": THERIACA FINA (?) AL STRVZZO IN VE (see the illustration):

Furthermore, there seems to exist a variation with C or G - R, too:

Best regards, julmin1

[julmin1]

Ecco, due altri vetri e tappi del "Redentore" (in alto ca. 9 cm). Questi vetri sembrano di essere stato una particolarità del "Redentore". Vedi già Apollonia "Il fascino discreto dei gettoni di piombo" # 73 e 75 (7 e 9 giugno 2010) e "Tessera per la teriaca" # 421 (4 marzo 2017):

 

Tanti saluti, julmin1

[apollonia]

Ciao all.

Assuming that P R are the initials of Paolo Romani, I wonder why the initials of a presumed "Domenico Romani" (which to my knowledge does not exist among the speciali who have succeeded in the management of the Struzzo d’Oro) are not D R but DO RO. So I think that the most probable reading of these letters is D'ORO, with reference to the ostrich between them.

Best regards,

[apollonia]

As for the other theriac lids with two possible initial letters of the speciali in the archives of julmin1, it would be interesting to review all the speciali that have followed one another in the management of the pharmacy "La Madonna" to verify the possible correspondence of the first letters of their names and surnames with the pairs of letters on each lid, i. e., I H, S K, S M, Z M, F P.

The same for the pair V C on the 1603 Golden Head piece.

For information about this, the former owner of the Testa d'Oro pharmacy who probably designed the man's head surrounded by laurel of the characteristic sign is called Virgilio Zorzi, while the managers of the pharmacy for a long time were the heirs of G. B. Salvestrini.

[Spicier]

Il 15/10/2019 alle 17:49, apollonia dice:

Sull’insegna della spezieria Al Doge questi è raffigurato seduto sul trono

È indicato l’anno (1748) e lo speziale dell’epoca (Giuseppe Guadagnini), mentre il Dian riporta che la spezieria era presso la Chiesa del Santo Sepolcro che si trovava sulla Riva degli Schiavoni.

Può darsi che sulla capsula della teriaca prodotta da questa spezieria fosse riprodotto il busto del Doge, ma potrebbe anche trattarsi di una medaglia di piombo con il busto di un doge senza relazione con la teriaca.

Posso sapere cosa si può leggere lungo il bordo della capsula avendola in mano?

Buongiorno, questa è l'insegna della Spezieria Al Doge tratta da un codice del 1759 (ancora di proprietà di Giuseppe Guadagnini, Consigliere dell'Arte degli Speziali), per cui il trono non sembra indispensabile. Per il resto, difficile capire di che si tratti.

[apollonia]

Ci sarebbe anche questa con il busto del Doge volto a destra  (post # 707)

[apollonia]

Salve

In un’asta del prossimo novembre è proposta questa capsula della teriaca piuttosto acciaccata.

Si legge distintamente TERIACA FINA ALLA ma non si vede il nome della spezieria.

Testa d'Oro?

 

Modificato 23 Ottobre, 2020 da apollonia

[417sonia]

8 ore fa, apollonia dice:

Salve

In un’asta del prossimo novembre è proposta questa capsula della teriaca piuttosto acciaccata.

Si legge distintamente TERIACA FINA ALLA ma non si vede il nome della spezieria.

Testa d'Oro?

 

Ciao!

Così sembrerebbe

saluti

luciano

[apollonia]

Ciao Luciano.

Il dubbio mi è nato dal fatto che in genere su queste capsule l’aggettivo FINA è abbreviato a F. Ho visto però che su questo esemplare (Roma Numismatics, E-Sale 52) è scritto per esteso.

Medieval and Modern
Italy, Venice PB Theriac Capsule Seal. Circa 17th century. Produced by the Alla testa d'oro pharmacy. TERIAC[A] FINA AL DO IN VEN[EZI]A(sic), laureate and draped bust right; small winged lion to right / Blank. For similar, cf. U. Klein. "Von Paradies zu Paradies: Theriak und Theriak-Kapseln," SM 218 (June 2005), pp. 35-42; cf. CNG e225, 661. 19.40g, 38mm.
Very Fine.

[417sonia]

Mah!

Penso che ci siano delle varianti nella legenda, considerato che i bussoletti furono prodotti per decenni, qualche variazione è più che possibile.

Bisognerebbe anche conoscere le dimensioni, perché a fronte dell'esistenza di bussoletti di dimensioni differenti, anche le legende potrebbero aver subito abbreviazioni.

ciao

luciano

[apollonia]

Volevo segnalare questa capsula battuta alla Saint Paul Antiques, Auction 13 di Londra.

Medieval and World. Italy, Venezia, 16th century. PB Theriac box lid (24mm, 10.11g). Rose. VF

L’immagine è stata scambiata per una rosa ma in effetti è una mela come si vede dalla rotazione di 180°. Quindi la spezieria è Al Pomo d’Argento e non Alla Rosa d’Oro.

Insegna dal Dian

[Sydow]

Dear colleagues,

I guess the next image and information will be interesting for you

 THERIACA ● **** ● STRUZZO ● IN ● VINET

Diameter 24 mm, max height 6 mm, weight 11.16 gr, not magnetic. Eastern Europe (territory of former Austro-Hungarian Empire)

Some information will be interesting for me too:

the symbols

- left of the Ostrich – V or P

- right  of the Ostrich – R or D?

period of manufacturing?

Thank you.