CLEOPATRA'S BOUDOIR

In this guide I will introduce you to the world of antique German blown glass scent bottles.

These blown glass scent bottles are easily identifiable by their typical multi colored stripes or swirls in the glass. "Spangled" was the 19th century glassworker's term for aventurine or "lutz" glass.

Other popular decoration is the gold flecked stripes that look like goldstone, also known as Lutz after the artist who popularized it during the 19th century at the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company. This glass isnt actually filled with real gold, but is actually tiny copper particles. The bottles may also have mercury glass stripes or daubers.

These bottles date to around the 1890-1930s and were made for souvenirs, perfume companies and for export. The bottles range in size from just 1 1/4" to 3" and up. Many were meant for a lady's purse or as a laydown bottle for her vanity table. Some were most likley produced by the Bimini Werkstatte founded in Vienna in 1923 by Fritz Lampl and was in business til 1938.

These striped vials were usually used by perfume companies for samples. The vials typically had small glass stoppers with long daubers, brass screw caps or metal crown tops. Occasionally you might find the made in Germany label. Most perfumes would have a gilded and embossed label for the perfume. Some companies that used these are Renaud Paris, Lemieux New York, Babbit Company of Philadelphia,Maison D'Or New York, and others.

Sometimes, the bottles will have gilded brass collars or daubers, but most of the time they are mercury glass. Another interesting type is the metal crown-shaped top sprinkler caps, like the one shown below.