Perfume Bottles

OTHER FOREIGN PERFUME BOTTLES 29Chapter 8OTHER FOREIGN PERFUME BOTTLESIreland:Waterford Glass Ltd. was founded in1783. It closed before the mid-19th century.The present company was opened in 1951. Itproduces a variety of cut crystal scent bottles,most signed with the company’s clover logo.Japan:Japan has a centuries-long tradition ofceramic and glass manufacturing. Very earlypieces were rarely marked. Exports intendedfor the American market were usually markedNippon (the Japanese word for Japan, notdenoting any particular factory) from 1891 to1921. When pieces were marked Nippon plusJapan, they are later products. From 1921 to1945, the mark for exported wares was “Madein Japan” or simply “Japan.” During theAmerican occupation of Japan after WorldWar II, from 1945 to 1952, the mark“Occupied Japan” was used.During the occupation, there was aconcerted effort to produce goods thatwould appeal to the Western market andbring in needed currency. Perfume bottles inthe style of Meissen, Staffordshire, prewar-Czechoslovakia and Old Paris porcelainwere exported by the thousands.Mexico:Mexican silversmiths have producedthousands of different perfume bottles insolid sterling silver, sterling over glass andsilver deposit. They are difficult to date sincethe same designs that were introduced in the1920s have been in constant production eversince. Those signed by the famoussilversmiths are, of course, most costly. Alsoexported from Mexico are hand carvedhardstone bottles.2.5” Clear glasswith sterling overlaydecorated withflowers andleaves, markedsterling and Mexico,c1940s-60s$60Egypt:In the last 15 years or so, huge numbersof lightweight blown bottles with flashedcolors, gold trim and, usually, flame stopperswith long daubers, have been produced andexported from Egypt. Most are based onclassical designs, but some are figuralanimals. They are too abundant to be of muchvalue but they are very attractive.Russia:Anyone trying to identify glass orenamel on metal perfume bottles fromRussia during the 18th or 19th century maybe forgiven for confusing them with Frenchpieces. The two countries traded extensivelyand freely borrowed designs from eachother. After 1900 the French Art Nouveaustyle of Galle was very popular.3” silver-gilt scentbottle with stippledbackground anddecorated with brillianttranslucentenamels on thebottle and top, Russianhallmarks, ca.1880, $1,750-2,000