ABSTRACT
This seventeenth-century Balsambüchse is a spherical object made from precious metals – silver that is gilt on the inside. It has a substantial foot with protruding elongated spheres and engraved triangular decoration. Spheres are engraved on its main body and once held human figures, birds, or foliage, as can be deduced from comparing the object with other examples. A loop is connected to its top, suggesting that it was worn on a chain and carried around or possibly suspended in the home. This particular piece has eight compartments, each of which is hinged to the middle console and unfolds upon unscrewing the object from the top. Engraved names can be found on the lids of the eight compartments – they show that this piece held ointments of Canel (cinnamon), Moscat (nutmeg), Rosmarin (rosemary), Ruten (rue), and Rosen (roses). These, together with cloves, schlag (an ointment used to cure strokes), and lemon, are the ingredients most often found engraved on the inside of these objects, thus revealing a common set of substances. The ointments were applied to the place of ailment on the body and would help to relieve pain and discomfort by way of the specific medical and temperate properties ascribed to them. This included spreading ointment under one’s nose in order to prevent bad smells from entering the body.
