Scent Bottle
1750-1800
Medium
Decorative Arts
Classification
Decorative Arts
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly
Accession Number
1929.8.245.47
Tags
About this artwork
The art of painting on enamel flourished in England during the second half of the eighteenth century. A French jeweler, Jean Toutin, had developed a new technique for painting on enamel, in which a gold base was covered first with white enamel, then painted with a design. This craft soon spread to England, where it was adopted by jewelers and goldsmiths. Their intricately painted boxes and curios were fashionable with the wealthy, who often bought them as souvenirs from their travels. Popular it...
Art Historical Context
This exquisite Scent Bottle, crafted between 1750 and 1800, exemplifies the flourishing art of enamel painting in late 18th-century England. Originating from a French innovation by jeweler Jean Toutin, technique involved coating a gold base with white enamel before applying intricate designs in vibrant colors. English jewelers and goldsmith perfected it, creating fashionable curios like snuff boxes, bonbonnières, and etuis that appealed to the wealthy elite as travel souvenirs or status symbols. As a decorative arts treasure from the Smithsonian American Art Museum—gifted by John Gellatly—thi...
About the Artist
Unidentified ( ) · –