Sterling Silver Miniature Perfume Bottle with Green Guilloché Enamel

This miniature sterling scent bottle pairs a pale green guilloché enamel face with tiny painted flowers. Guilloché joins finely engine-turned lines in metal with translucent enamel laid over them, so the pattern remains visible beneath the color. The technique developed from ornamental turning in the eighteenth century and became especially prized for small luxury objects around the turn of the twentieth. Here the rippling ground gives the painted blossoms depth on a flask small enough to fit in the palm.

Made to hold a little fragrance, the flat bottle fits neatly in the hand. Its neck is stamped STERLING beside a separate mark whose maker has not been identified; the plain silver back and fitted cap let the enamel face remain the focus. It is a lovely example of how much careful metalwork and enameling could be brought to an everyday vanity piece.

Year Made: Early 20th century
Materials: Sterling silver and guilloché enamel
Dimensions: 1⅞" H × 1⅛" W

Condition: The reverse and cap show tarnish and surface wear. No chips or losses are visible in the enamel.