A hexagonal lithographed cardboard box for the famous "Snail Paste," a popular pharmaceutical specialty from the late 19th century. The lid features a highly detailed central engraving of a snail on foliage, accompanied by a richly decorated border listing its therapeutic uses: coughs, hoarseness, bronchitis, colds, catarrh, and chest irritations. The reverse of the lid bears a lengthy explanatory text entitled "Advice to the Sick," typical of old pharmacopoeias and the medical arguments of the period. It is indicated as having been made in Montpellier, a center of French pharmaceutical tradition.
✦ Origin: France, Montpellier ✦ Estimated period: Circa 1900 ✦ Dimensions: Approximately 8.5 x 7.5 x 3 cm ✦ Material: lithographed cardboard ✦ Condition: Used condition with wear and scuffs, lid decoration clearly legible and complete
An iconic antique pharmaceutical box for pectoral remedies based on snails, ideal for an antique medicine collection or cabinet of curiosities.
