Scent bottle

Medieval travelers used leather pilgrim flasks to transport water. The form was appropriated in later centuries for large, opulent examples made in silver or glass. Employed on small scale, it was an appropriate choice for a luxury object intended to hold an expensive fragrance. This example is embellished with low-relief decoration, including shells and chinoiserie figures, and ornamental strapwork.

Credit: The Jack and Belle Linsky Collection, 1982