Tin glazed earthenware pill tile
- Made:
- 1601-1700


Tin glazed earthenware pill tile, elongated octagonal, decorated in polychrome with the arms of the Society of Apothecaries, English, 17th century
The coat of arms of The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of England – which came into being in 1617 – is painted on to the surface of this pill tile showing that the original owner was a member of the society. In it, Apollo, the Greek god of light, music and healing, is surrounded by two unicorns and a rhinoceros. The motto translates from Latin as “And I am called throughout the world the bringer of aid”.
On display
Science Museum: Medicine: The Wellcome Galleries
If you are visiting to see this object, please contact us in advance to make sure that it will be on display.
Cite this page
Rights
We encourage the use and reuse of our collection data.
Data in the title, made, maker and details fields are released under Creative Commons Zero
Descriptions and all other text content are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence
Download
Download catalogue entry as json
Download manifest IIIF
Our records are constantly being enhanced and improved, but please note that we cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information shown on this website.