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Ivory pharmacy sign in the shape of a unicorn's head, Europe
'Unicorn horns' were believed to have medicinal qualities. As the unicorn is a mythical beast the apothecary had to find a substitute ingredient. Usually this was the long horn of a male narwhal whale, which was ground into a powder to be used in treatments. Unicorns were also a medieval symbol of purity and chastity. Mounted on an oak stand, the ivory shop sign was probably made in England or the…
Creator
- Science Museum, London
Subject
- shop sign
Creator
- Science Museum, London
Subject
- shop sign
Providing institution
Aggregator
Rights statement for the media in this item (unless otherwise specified)
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Rights
- Credit: Science Museum, London
Source
- L0058319
Identifier
- L0058319
- Science Museum A631343
- z8stjmzb
Providing country
- United Kingdom
Collection name
First time published on Europeana
- 2019-06-09T11:31:51.166Z
Last time updated from providing institution
- 2019-06-09T11:31:51.166Z