Perfume flask

Key Words

glass; gilding

Questions to ask

Do some research about how glass is made. What materials are required to make glass? How is glass shaped? How is it coloured?

Glass as a material is cheap; however, art made from glass is usually very expensive. Why might this be?

Glass is one of the top five collected items in the world. What glass item would you collect if you could afford it? Why?

How this might inspire your work

Design your own perfume or aftershave bottle and stopper for a 19^th or 20^th century client. 

Research a person from the 19^th or 20^th century – this person will become your client. Take on the role of this client, and create a design brief for the perfume or aftershave bottle. Think about whether the client intends to keep the bottle for themselves, when and how the bottle will be used, where it will be kept, and what budget the client will give the you as the designer. 

Take the Tullie House perfume flask as a starting point, and research other perfume or aftershave bottles from your chosen era. Make a series of sketches, and consider decoration, colour and shape. Consider the stopper of the bottle as well as the flask.