Perfume bottle c. 1845 - 1860

This perfume bottle was made by the Compagnie de Saint Louis, and its beauty resides in the material used: glass. The glass has been blown and shaped with great skill, particularly the vibrant ruby color, which is achieved by adding gold chloride to the molten glass mixture. This gives the bottle a luxurious, jewel-like quality. But the base is also interesting; it would have been made by gathering small amounts of colored glass onto the surface, which were then reheated and worked to create the ring of small circular motifs. Consider the amount of labor and skill involved. Each gather of glass, each reheating, and each shaping requires careful control and expertise. This wasn't just about producing a functional object; it was about creating something beautiful and desirable, playing into the burgeoning consumer culture. By attending to the making, we appreciate the transformation of raw materials into an object of desire, bridging the gap between art, craft, and industry.