Pair of Spanish Hand-Painted Commemorative Ceramic Pharmacy Jars - 8¼" x 4"

This distinctive pair of Spanish hand-painted ceramic apothecary-style jars appears to have been made to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 1970–1975 graduating class of a Catalan Faculty of Pharmacy, likely in 1995. Similar in design but slightly different in size and proportion, the lidded vessels are hand-painted in a restrained palette of blue and white with touches of orange and green. The fronts feature the Bowl of Hygieia, the traditional symbol of pharmacy, alongside the inscriptions Facultat de Farmàcia, Promoció 70–75 and 20 anys. On the reverse, each is decorated with a simple cobalt-blue floral motif, giving the jars a more traditional ceramic character when viewed from behind. One vessel bears a handwritten “El Puente” mark beneath the base, while the other is unsigned, possibly pointing to an origin in El Puente del Arzobispo, Toledo, one of Spain’s historic centers of hand-painted ceramics.

Their loose brushwork, graphic lettering and slight difference in scale give the pair an appealing artisanal quality. Displayed together on open shelving, in a bathroom or among collected ceramics, they combine the familiar form of traditional pharmacy jars with a playful piece of Spanish medical history. They would also make a particularly thoughtful gift for a pharmacist or pharmacy graduate.