




Medicinal water bottle, empty, Italian, 1920-1930
The inscription moulded into this glass bottle literally translates from Italian as “Anti-pestilence [or plague] water from Santa Maria Della Scala”. Santa Maria Della Scala is a Christian church in Rome, Italy.
This medicinal water was believed to have the power to cure and to provide protection against disease. Bottles such as this would also be bought by as souvenirs by worshippers who had come to the church on a pilgrimage.
Details
- Category:
- Ethnography and Folk Medicine
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A67459
- Materials:
- bottle, glass, clear
- Measurements:
-
overall: 175 mm x 28 mm x 19 mm, .08 kg
- type:
- medicinal water bottle