Conservation for Teaching: Restoration and Educational Use of an 18th-Century “Albarelo” at the Museum of the History of Pharmacy in Seville (Spain)

The permanent historical-pharmaceutical collection at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Seville (Spain), offers visitors a vivid impression of what an apothecary’s shop looked like around the turn of the 19th to the 20th century. In that era, pharmacists manually prepared medicines and stored raw materials in various ceramic containers, including jars, oil cruets, burnias, and albarelos. Each year, the museum receives new donations, such as a recent set of pharmacy jars from a private collection. Most of these are albarelos, with one dating back to the 18th century and others originating from more recent ceramic workshops. During transport from Murcia to Seville, the 18th-century albarelo was accidentally broken. To preserve its historical and artistic value, we commissioned a master potter to restore the piece. Thanks to this intervention, the albarelo is now part of the museum’s exhibition and can be appreciated by students and visitors interested in cultural heritage beyond the pharmaceutical field.