Talc Parfume

1940 Guerlain Talc Parfume Coque D'Or powder box, beige paper, sepia graphic of a bathing scene signed J. Cantel, sealed contents. Diam. 3 3/4 in. Photo by Perfume Bottles Auction.

Vintage talc, or dusting powder. It is made by Guerlain Parfumeur. The scent is Mitsouko. The interior is full and sealed. The powder has never been opened, the seal has not been broken,and the puff has never been used. The container is made of tortoise shell, or bakelite, and made in France. The net weight is 8 ounces.

Flacon Opaline c1951 - ?

R. Noirot handpainted opaline flacon decorated with enameled butterflies, it is meant to resemble the mid 19th century French opaline cologne bottles so popular in the Victorian era. It has a gilded bronze knob on the lid. The bottle held various standard Guerlain perfumes such as L'Heure Bleue, Mitsouko, Vol de Nuit, Jicky, Ode, Shalimar and it was also seen without any specific perfume name in the cartouche on the front of the bottle. A powder jar was also created. I believe that these were produced before the 1950s prior to R. Noirot's involvement.

Bottles:

• 11.5cm/4.53"
• 15.5cm/6.1"
• 18.5cm/7.28"

Powder Jar:

• 11.5cm tall - diameter 12cm

No one was exactly sure who made this opaline glass bottle, most attribute it to the work of Baccarat and I was previously inclined to believe that it was either Baccarat or Portieux Vallerysthal because both have a history of making opaline crystal bottles. However, after seeing one of Noirot's other handpainted opaline pieces in the same vein as the Guerlain pieces, it was decided that a company named Cristal et Bronze manufactured the pieces for Guerlain as well as other pieces decorated by R. Noirot.

Cristal et Bronze was created in 1937 by a Parisian antique dealer, Cristal et Bronze, located in the medieval village of Château-Landon, manufactures its bathroom fittings and accessories in the purest traditions of French craftsmanship. Luxury hotels, yachts, private homes… interior architects and designers from the five continents appeal to the Cristal et Bronze universe, both for the traditional collections as well as for the more contemporary styles.

Cristal Et Bronze

19 Avenue Friedland

75008 Paris

France

Vol de Nuit, opaline flacon. Photo by Tajan

Guerlain Packaging: Zig Zag Boxes

Starting in 1967 Guerlain packaged their fragrances, cosmetics and skincare products in black and white boxes imprinted with a zig zag like pattern. In the center of these boxes was a raised golden seal with the name of the fragrance or product in the center. This design was used until 1983, when a new design appeared.

used from 1967 til 1983.

advertisement from 1969.

Instead of the black and white boxes, these boxes now were different colors for different fragrances and the zig zags were now either black or gold, depending on the color of the boxes. This design was used up until 2008, when the boxes were then made up of a muted gold color with no zig zags.

used from 1983 til 2008.

used from 2008 to present