Antique Verre églomisé French Apothecary Jar

Huge reverse hand-painted (Verre églomisé*) antique Apothecary Jar which appears to be signed; A. Collier Paris. These highly decorative and overscale glass jars were commonly found in the finer pharmacist establishments around 1900. Papaver, as this one is named is an annual flowering medicinal plant used for in treating coughs, sleep disorders, a pain reliever and as a sedative. Papaver is more commonly known as the opium poppy and is the species of plant from which both opium and poppy seeds are derived.

*Verre églomisé is the French term of applying a design and gilding onto the backside of glass. The name is from the 18th-century French decorator Jean-Baptiste Glomy who brought it back to fashion. The actual technique of Verre églomisé dates back to pre-Roman times.