Reukfles van goud, afgeplat peervormig, met op beide zijden taferelen in émail: een boerenkeuken interieur en een boerendans. c. 1756 - 1762

This is a gold, flattened pear-shaped perfume bottle, decorated with enamel scenes of peasant life. Though we don’t know who made it, objects like these offer a window into the lives of the wealthy who purchased them, and how they viewed the working class. On either side, we see scenes that romanticize peasant life. One side shows a domestic interior, while the other depicts peasants dancing. These images evoke a sense of idyllic simplicity. The craftsmanship and precious materials also speak to the great social divide that allowed the wealthy to purchase such elaborate items, while those depicted on its surface likely lived in very different conditions. Consider how the emotional experience of using this perfume bottle might have been shaped by its imagery. Did it evoke a sense of nostalgia, or serve as a reminder of the social order?