Images(3)

perfume bottle

Object NameDove-Shaped Perfume Container (Kuşlar)

Made FromGlass

Date1800-1825

TechniqueBlown, applied, ground, enameled, gilded

SizeOverall H: 10.2 cm; L (max): 21.1 cm; W (max): 9.2 cm

Accession Number54.1.160

Curatorial Area(s)

Exhibitions

Glass of the Sultans

Interpretive Notes

Web Text

Extremely rare today, bird-shaped containers were some of the most complex and sumptuous glass products produced at Beykoz, in Turkey. They contained scented water or perfume, likely distilled from the abundant roses, tulips, and cyclamen grown locally. With the decline of the Ottoman Empire at the turn of the 20th century, Turkish glass production suffered from competition with the European glass and perfume industries.

Place Made

Turkey, Beykoz

Physical DescriptionDove-Shaped Perfume Container (Kuşlar). Opalescent white, with opaque pink and orangey red enamels, and gilding; Blown (three gathers),applied, and ground; enameled and gilded. The object is a container in the form of a bird, with a stopper. The head is hollow. It has a small pouring hole in the beak and a semicircular crest, made by pinching, at the back. The body, which is also hollow, is roughly egg-shaped, but it tapers toward the tail. The bird has two rudimentary legs with flat feet, each made from a separate bit, with a third short "leg" and foot toward the tail. The wings are represented by horizontal trails extending from below the head almost to the tail. The trails were crimped to produce a corrugated effect. The tail, which was made from a separate bit, is flat and shaped like a fan. The object is filled through an opening in the middle of the back. The opening has a short, bulbous neck and a large, rounded rim made trailing. The mouth is closed by a stopper with a globular knop. The mouth of the bird, the three feet, and the stopper were finished by grinding. The bird almost completely covered with gilded and enameled ornament. The enamel on head, body, tail, and feet is pink, while that on the wings is orangey red. The head has short parallel lines and spots to indicate feathers and large round eyes with double outlines. The mouth and the centers of the eyes are gilded. The body has an overall pattern of overlapping semicircular scales, which are outlined in pink and contain gilded lines of varying lengths that resemble the barbs of a feather. Similar groups of lines adorn the wings. The upper surface of the tail has a schematic pattern of feathers, the two front feet have schematic claws, and there is simple, frond-like decoration below the rim. The top of the rim is gilded.
Provenance

Provenance Remark

Provenance information not currently available online. Please check back in the coming weeks.