Chelsea scent bottle
The little porcelain scent bottle, shaped as a figure, from the English porcelain factory in Chelsea.
In the rococo period small scent bottles were carried in the pocket or at the belt. The Chelsea porcelain factory made them as small sculptures, often with a pun or a love message in French.
The bottles were toys for adults and gifts between lovers. Today they are sought-after collector’s pieces and show the rococo taste for the small and playful.
Materials: Soft-paste porcelain, painted decoration, gold mounts
Manufacture: Made at the Chelsea porcelain factory in London in the 1750s.
The shape of a figure – a bird, a flower or a person.
The painted decoration in strong colours.
The gold stopper and mount.