Guerlain’s bee bottle
The bottle with golden bees that Guerlain made for the Empress Eugénie.
Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain created Eau de Cologne Impériale for the Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, when she married in 1853. The bottle is decorated with bees, the symbol of the Napoleonic dynasty.
Guerlain became the Empress’s supplier, and the bee bottle is still used by the house. It is an early example of a bottle designed for a particular brand.
Materials: Glass with bees in relief, gilding
Manufacture: Made by the glassworks Pochet et du Courval for Guerlain from 1853; still in use.
The small bees in relief, gilded by hand.
The tall form with domed shoulders.
The stopper like a small dome.