Information on Antique Perfume Bottles
Antique perfume bottles are like miniature works of art, so it is not surprising that they are admired and collected all over the world. For anyone who may be thinking about starting a collection, finding a special gift, or just learning more about this fascinating subject, there is a vast library of information and illustrations that may be useful. Does this Spark an idea?
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Museum
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Perfume dates back to the Mesopotamian era over 5,000 years ago, and its history can be traced through the ages. A starting point is the Barcelona Perfume Museum, which was established in the early 1960s and houses an extensive collection of antique perfume bottles. The museum website also includes information about the history of perfume, perfume bottles and the makers of world famous perfumes through the years. Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Arabic and Renaissance histories showcase the perfume bottle.
Egypt
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Perfume containers appeared to gain prominence during ancient Egyptian times when they were fashioned predominantly from alabaster, but were also crafted in gold, glass and stone. Perfume containers from the tomb of Tutankhamen (1333 to 23 B.C.E.) are among the exhibits at the Cairo Museum in Egypt. The manufacture of perfume apparently began as part of religious ceremonies, when scented offerings were made to the gods. This explains the lists of ingredients and manufacturing instructions documented in hieroglyphics.
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Glass and Porcelain
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Although glass perfume bottles date back to around 1500 B.C.E., they were popularized in England only around the 16th century and in the United States during the mid-1700s. Porcelain containers were favored for storing scents and also for decorative purposes. An example is a porcelain container shaped like the figures of Baco/Bacchus---the god of wine---and Cupid, in an elaborate setting of grapes and vines. The golden container cover is encrusted with stones.
Lalique
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During the early 1900s, a classic collaboration occurred between perfume maker, Francois Coty and perfume bottle maker, Rene Lalique, whose product sales reflected the value of encasing a fine perfume in an equally-fine bottle. Lalique's crystal creations went on to define the products of other perfumers too, among them Caron, Guerlain and Roger et Gallet.
Baccarat
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After World War I, French perfume was a popular gift brought back to the United States. Many of the exquisitely designed bottles were manufactured by Baccarat, whose top-quality crystal is held in high regard worldwide. Among the examples of beautiful presentations of the period is "Astris" by L.T. Piver, contained in a star-shaped bottle.
Creative Designs
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Imagination and artistry defined outstanding perfume bottles created during the 1930s and the 1940s.
In 1935, Jean Patou's "Normandie" was the center of attraction on the maiden voyage of the ship by the same name. First class passengers on the maiden voyage of the Normandie were presented with a model of the ship containing a bottle of the perfume.
In 1948, Nina Ricci's "L'Air Du Temps" perfume was presented in a sunburst bottle and the opaque stopper was shaped like a dove in flight. When this perfume was re-introduced in 1951, it was packaged in a box shaped like a birdcage that could be battery-illuminated.
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