Pill slabs are thought to have been used for grinding pills and for mixing ointments, though their primary use may have been as a sign to hang in the window of a shop.
The inscription – Opifer Que Per Orbem Dicor – refers to Ovid’s story of Apollo and Daphne where Apollo introduces himself with the words: “the art of medicine is my discovery, and I am called help-bringer throughout the world, and all the potency of herbs is given unto me.”
Offered on behalf of a Somerset deceased estate by the Taunton auctioneers Greenslade Taylor Hunt on October 28, it sold to the Kensington Church Street dealer Jonathan Horne at £53,000 (plus 12.75 per cent buyer’s premium).
Delft pill slab makes a heart-warming £53,000
UK: A heart-shaped London delft pill slab of c.1660-70, 12 x 10in (30 x 25cm), painted in blue, ochre and turquoise with the arms of the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries.
