{"id":79,"date":"2021-11-10T12:14:38","date_gmt":"2021-11-10T11:14:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=22728"},"modified":"2021-11-10T12:28:11","modified_gmt":"2021-11-10T11:28:11","slug":"collecting-perfume-bottles","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/collecting-perfume-bottles\/","title":{"rendered":"Collecting perfume bottles"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Molly Malsom\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 10 November 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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The 5th of May 2021 marked the 100th anniversary of the launch of Chanel No 5. With it, Gabrielle \u2018Coco\u2019 Chanel wanted to create a completely new perfume for the modern woman, a signature scent that would embody her new aesthetic. What made it so refreshing was its mix of 80 different scents including jasmine, rose, sandalwood and vanilla, a combination that was much more sophisticated and complex than the single-note fragrances that had come before. <\/span><\/p>\n

Her vision extended to the bottles in which the perfume was sold. Said to be inspired by a whisky decanter or hip flask, the boxy minimalist design anticipated the mood of the 1920s \u2013 confident, daring and hedonistic. In the 1980s, Andy Warhol featured the Chanel No 5 bottle in a series of screen prints, confirming its status as a 20th-century design icon.<\/span><\/p>\n

Perfume bottles have a very practical function \u2013 they contain the concoctions used to anoint our hair, bodies and clothes. In the centuries before modern sanitation, for those who could afford them, perfumes disguised the obnoxious stench of unwashed bodies, smoking factories and streets clogged with rainwater and waste. But despite the usefulness of perfume, scent bottles have rarely been straightforwardly utilitarian objects. <\/span><\/p>\n

For millennia, makers have employed all their skills and artistry to communicate the magic of the bottles\u2019 contents \u2013 ornate alabaster perfume jars were found in the tomb of Tutankhamun, and the Romans stored perfume in vessels of highly iridescent glass. <\/span><\/p>\n

What makes perfume bottles collectable?<\/h2>\n

As perfume bottle aficionado Ken Leach puts it, makers have always tried to \u2018seduce the eye and the hand\u2019 before the bottle was opened or the stopper was even lifted. Because of this, perfume bottles are often exquisite examples of particular moments in design history. <\/span><\/p>\n

From 1907, glass artist Ren\u00e9 Lalique collaborated with the perfume manufacturer Coty to create a range of stunning glass flacons, which are now considered to be gems of French Art Nouveau style. Similarly, the perfume \u2018Le Roy Soleil\u2019 was created by celebrated couturi\u00e8re Elsa Schiaparelli in 1947 to mark the end of the Second World War, with the bottle designed by surrealist artist Salvador Dal\u00ed. <\/span><\/p>\n

Coco Chanel is said to have owned hundreds of perfume bottles. Asked why she had so many on her dressing table, many of them empty, she apparently replied, \u2018Those bottles are my memories of surrender and conquest\u2026 my crown jewels of love.\u2019 Like Chanel, some collectors are drawn to perfume bottles for emotional reasons \u2013 perhaps they collect perfumes they remember their own mother using, which they weren\u2019t allowed to touch. <\/span><\/p>\n

Others focus on perfume houses they admire (Coty and Guerlain have strong followings) or collect specific makers (for example the French crystal manufacturer Baccarat).<\/span><\/p>\n

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Old advertising of Chanel No on postage stamp<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Some seek out bottles by iconic fashion houses such as Lanvin, Dior and Paul Poiret, or are drawn to a particular style, such as Art Deco. Many simply buy bottles that will display beautifully. Whatever approach they take, enthusiasts differentiate between two types of bottle: non-commercial (originally sold empty so they could be filled with a scent of the customer\u2019s own choosing) and commercial (dating mainly from the late 19th and 20th centuries and sold complete with perfume). <\/span><\/p>\n

Despite 20 years of dealing in non-commercial bottles, specialist Richard Hopp\u00e9 still gets a thrill when he finds a shape he hasn\u2019t encountered before and is often amazed by the bottles\u2019 creative designs and workmanship. Non-commercial bottles were made from a variety of materials, including delicately pierced and engraved silver, hand-painted porcelain, ivory, cut crystal, and even semi-precious stones such as agate and carnelian. <\/span><\/p>\n

Richard has even come across a bottle made from a carved and hollowed-out nut. Currently, the favourite item in his stock is a c1870 crystal bottle (\u00a3355), with a cranberry overlay body expertly cut to reveal the clear glass underneath. It\u2019s double- ended, with a hinged end for perfume and a screw end for smelling salts. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018The bottle was probably made in Bohemia (part of the modern-day Czech Republic) and imported to England, where the silver tops would have been fitted,\u2019 Richard explains. \u2018With its attractive design and deep, skilful cutting to the crystal, this handsome bottle was made by a master craftsman. One can imagine it in the window of a fashionable Bond Street shop, waiting to catch the eye of an affluent buyer.\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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