Name/Title
CrocodileDescription
Crocodiles were displayed in early pharmacies. They identified the shop for those who couldn’t read and assured customers that exotic and magic ingredients were available to treat all sorts of diseases.
From Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
“And in his needy shop a tortoise hung,
An alligator stuffed and other skins,
Of ill-shaped fishes…”
The Nile crocodile pictured is carrying one of its young as a demonstration of fertility. The included images are “A Cabinet of Curiosities” (1599), an engraving/etching from the Ferrante Imperato natural history museum in Naples and “The Alchemist at Work” (1640-1650) by David Teniers the Younger.Condition
Overall Condition
GoodDate Examined
Aug 21, 2026Create Date
August 21, 2026Update Date
August 21, 2026
