[al-buh-rel-oh] 
[-rel-ee] . | a majolica jar of the 15th and 16th centuries, cylindrical with a waist slightly narrower than the ends, used in Spain and Italy for keeping dry drugs. |
albarello
pottery jar for apothecaries' ointments and dry drugs made in the Near East and in Spain and produced in Italy from the 15th through the 18th century in the form known as majolica (q.v.), or tin-glazed earthenware. Since the jar had to be easy to hold, use, and shelve, its basic form was cylindrical but incurved for grasping and wide-mouthed for access. All albarellos are about 7 inches (18 centimetres) high. A few have close-set handles, but, because they were not designed to hold liquids, they are generally free of spouts, lips, handles, and outcurved forms. A piece of paper or parchment tied around the rim served as a cover for the jar
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