Saturday, February 23, 2013

Gardenia by Molinelle c1930

Gardenia was launched by Molinelle in 1930. This was just one of the few of Molinelle's English perfumes. This one seems to stand out because of its exquisite perfume flacon.






Made up of clear crystal by the firm of Heinrich Hoffmann, the bottle had several unique features not usually seen on other bottles of the period. The perfume bottle was composed up of three parts, a rectangular base with beveled and faceted edges, and a cover which fit over the top of the bottle, this "lid" completely covered the ground glass stopper.

The stopper was etched with a Neo-Classical scene dominated by a nude maiden (Aphrodite perhaps) playfully blowing heart shaped soap bubbles at Cupid, while two rabbits, symbolizing the fertility of the springtime frolic at their feet. The scene was elegantly piqued out in gold enamel. Other parts of the stopper feature frosted edges.

The most unusual part of the stopper was its dauber. Now we all know that daubers were the norm for parfum bottles of the era, but this one had something quite different, and undoubtedly more feminine. Two cut crystal beads were strung onto wire suspended from the ground plug of the stopper. The very idea of using these crystal drops to apply the fragrance as opposed to the phallic looking daubers of the time was quite clever to my mind. Perfume is and has always been, an extravagant luxury. Sumptuous as well as sensuous, I could just imagine the act of using this stopper, doused with the precious drops of the perfumed extrait, dripping off of the cold faceted beads and drawing them against the skin.

The bottle measured 1 3/4".





images; Perfume Bottles Auction

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