June 5, 2010

Things of Great Beauty

One of the most beloved and timeless inventions of fashionable accessories comes in a bottle. Its most distinct attraction stems from the senses of those who wear them. Tracing back biblical times, women have identified that prestige and luxury are bestowed in these bottles.
Antique Gold
This led to my own curiosity and once again exploring the history of perfume making. What I have been drawn to are the beauty of vintage perfume containers and how these pieces had been shaped in history to hold the most luxurious drops of liquids.
Antique Bohemian
While the Greeks were attributed for creating the first liquid perfume, the Egyptians took pride in creating elaborate bottles to store the perfume and were considered as 'things of great beauty.' The bottles were artistically crafted from gold, alabaster, ebony and porcelain. When the glass containers first surfaced in Egypt around 1558 BC, these bottles were considered more precious than jewels.
Liquid perfumes were once made from crushed petals or herbs mixed with rich oils which produced a strong blend of aroma. The Arabians revolutionized the creation of perfumes through the process of distillation. Arabian chemist, Avicenna, created the process of extracting oil from the plant using roses as his first subject of experimentation. Today, this same process is still commonly used in perfume factories.
Gilded Caryatid Figural Atomizer 1928
If you are around the vicinity, please visit the Robin's Nest where you can find a variety of vintage perfume bottles.
sources and images from here, here

38 comments:

the gardener's cottage said...

hi maryann

thanks for such an informative post. i love the art and history surrounding perfume. my all-time favorite classes through aveda have always been the aromatherapy classes. the science behind perfume is amazing.

~janet

Ann said...

Wow! The bottles are gorgeous and your post was so informative.:)
Fondly,
Ann
@
The Tattered Tassel

Deepali Kalia Interior Design Blog Filling Spaces said...

These are so romantic and old fashioned i love them,
Thanks for the post~Deepali

Karena said...

Beautiful! I have seen some of the most fabulous art glass perfume bottles!

Karena
Art by Karena

Tina said...

A fabulous post Mary Ann, I had no idea about the history of liquid perfume. I love the gorgeous perfume bottles! Hope you are enjoying a lovely weekend ~ Tina x

Kellie Collis said...

So beautiful and elegant! Hope you have had a fabulous weekend xxx

Anonymous said...

They are all so gorgeous! Lovely post! xo

PASSIONEDECO FRANCESCA said...

My dear friend,
how I wish I was near and able to visit that surely wonderful Robin's Nest! I should try to make my own perfume with roses from my garden..what do you think?
Fra

Unknown said...

wow amazing glass bottles they looks soo pretty really awesome bottles

Anonymous said...

Interesting. I'd sure love to own some of those gorgeous bottles!

Cathy~Mille Fleur said...

Oh my goodness...these are all so lovely!

What a beautiful post!

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

Enjoy!
Cathy

Paris Pastry said...

LOVE the glass bottles! Reminds me of my mother's collection. The antique ones are so whimsical!

Jennifer said...

Fascinating! I much prefer these bottles to the modern ones!

Brenda Pruitt said...

I learned something! You're right, they are indeed beautiful.
Brenda

Gwen Driscoll said...

these bottles are magnificent. thank you for sharing. hope you have a great week.

Poppies and Sunshine said...

This is such a great post! It was great to learn :) I just love all these perfume bottles! So pretty!

Anonymous said...

nice post,...like it,...keep blogging...
P.S. Happy Blogging...

Anonymous said...

thanks for the comment and dropping on my blog...

Unknown said...

These perfume bottles are truly works of art!

Kim@Chattafabulous said...

Mary Ann, these are beautiful. I have a small collection of old medicine bottles that have turned purple by the sun!

its simple love said...

So so pretty. I love collecting bottles like these of all kinds.

Rachael

Tricia said...

Gorgeous images Mary Ann. I have a few special bottles like these from my childhood and they are cherished treasures!
Happy Monday to you.
T

The Shiny Pebble said...

So luxurious... I love the idea behind this post. It truly a sense of luxury and self pampering. I love the historic perspective of your posts as well. Too bad we don't live in California. I would love to visit Robin's Nest.

Thank you so much for posting the party at your blog. I cant' wait to see what you come up with. :)

this free bird said...

beautiful, beautiful bottles!! so fun to collect and always look unique. :)

jeanette from everton terrace said...

I am entranced, with the history lesson (I had no idea) and the divine bottles (gorgeous). Food for the mind AND the eyes!

Lilacandgrey said...

The first things I look for when I go antique shopping is perfume bottles and tea sets...great post :)

OneCraftyFox said...

I totally agree. Even when I was really little I was fascinated by my moms perfume bottles. They looked so elegant and smelled so sweet!

~*~ saskia ~*~ said...

Pure gorgeousness! Love your post, MaryAnn. So so feminine, lovely and elegant. Thanks for the eyecandy.
Hope your week is off to a great start! xx

Unknown said...

thanks for lovely comment be in touch , ok take care

Gorgeous Glam said...

I LOVE perfume bottles and collect them. Great post! xoxo

Vær våken said...

Interesting! Thanks for sharing! I love perfume and just bought a bottle. I've been looking for a long time and finally I found a favourite :)

Unknown said...

great post--so much good info and the photos are stunning! I started collecting vintage perfume bottles years ago on a visit to England but stopped a few years ago--maybe its time to start again!

Living It At Home said...

This is a fascinating explanation of the history of perfume making. I think in the victorian times and of course the period of not being able to bathe often, people who could afford it, would use much perfume. The bridal bouqet came about because of this reason. The bride needed the scent of the flowers to mask certain...ahmmm...smells! So glad I was born in these modern times!

Les Cotrions said...

What an interesting post! I didn't know the perfume history! These bottles are artworks and so feminine!
Thanks for sharing Mary Ann!
Vale

Pemberley said...

So pretty!

maría cecilia said...

Yes, your right, perfume bottles are so collectible, old and new ones, so pretty!!
Cariños,
Maria Cecilia

Kendall said...

So interesting! I love when functional items are so beautiful!!

Bardot in Blue said...

in love with this collection you have shared here of vintage perfume bottles :-D MAkes me want to start a collection of my own!

xox Bardot in Blue

PS thanks so much for always leaving you sweet comments over on Bardot in Blue, such a joy to read them and stop by and see all the beauty in your Verbena Cottage :-D

Related Posts with Thumbnails