Reused apothecary jars

Apothecary jars were specialized items, often bought in lots, sometimes customized, thus rather valuable. For this reason, they were often reused. Some inscriptions have been repainted (with an identical text in case the writing had faded, or with a different text if the content had changed). Other inscriptions have been effaced or covered with paper labels. Our collection includes jars with two or more inscriptions, painted on the body, written on labels (sometimes overlapped), or inscription fields that have remained empty. Inside some of the covers and on some of the jar bases one finds notations of contents and quantities removed/remaining. One wooden jar preserves two successive labels, with the printed data of two different pharmacies (thus the first was likely sold and reused, including the jars). Other jars have special labels with the notation of their weight (when empty), marked TARA or T. This allowed pharmacists to calculate the exact weight of the remaining content without having to remove it from the jar.