Le Theatre - 160 Year Anniversary of the Bee Bottle c2013

 Le Theatre - was one of several special presentations created in 2013 to mark the 160th anniversary of the creation of the bee bottle, known as the Abeille flacon.

 Le Theatre - was one of several special presentations created in 2013 to mark the 160th anniversary of the creation of the bee bottle, known as the Abeille flacon.


Guerlain commissioned nine “Maîtres d’art” of the Institut National des Métiers d’Art of France. Giving them full artistic freedom to create whatever they could envision to centre around a one litre bee bottle. The resulting incarnations are truly the epitome of one of a kind masterpieces.

The unique bottles were on display at the Maison Guerlain, 68, Champs-Élysées, from the 10th of December 2013 to the 14th of February 2014 and were showcased in photo and video exhibitions in Guerlain’s Exclusive Line Doors in 2014. They will be sold to help fund the “Maîtres d’art – Students” project, in which master artists pass down rare and exceptional skills to apprentices, overseen by the Institut National des Métiers d’Art (INMA). You can read more about the INMA online.


Lison de Caunes, Maître d’art – Class of 1998. Interior designer André Groult's talented granddaughter has rekindled the skillful art of straw marquetry, a decorative element which she particularly uses to create au courant furniture and wall coverings.

From Guerlain:

“Le Théâtre” (“The Theatre”) 

A wooden shrine in the shape of the Bee bottle. In the place of the label, an opening suggests the proscenium of a classic theatre. The interior and exterior feature straw marquetry: the first in an Empire blue sprinkled with stylised bees in embossed yellow straw, following the delicate 18th-century technique, and the second in yellow gold chiselled with blue festoons, all with a waxed finish. The interior is lit, accentuating the natural shimmer of the straw and giving a dazzling effect to the bottle, decorated with a straw marquetry label.

L'Habit de Fete - 160 Year Anniversary of the Bee Bottle c2013

L'Habit de Fete - was one of several special bottle designs created in 2013 to mark the 160th anniversary of the creation of the bee bottle, known as the Abeille flacon.

Guerlain commissioned nine “Maîtres d’art” of the Institut National des Métiers d’Art of France. Giving them full artistic freedom to create whatever they could envision to centre around a one litre bee bottle. The resulting incarnations are truly the epitome of one of a kind masterpieces.

The unique bottles were on display at the Maison Guerlain, 68, Champs-Élysées, from the 10th of December 2013 to the 14th of February 2014 and were showcased in photo and video exhibitions in Guerlain’s Exclusive Line Doors in 2014. They will be sold to help fund the “Maîtres d’art – Students” project, in which master artists pass down rare and exceptional skills to apprentices, overseen by the Institut National des Métiers d’Art (INMA). You can read more about the INMA online.

A sought after specialist in luxurious gold thread embroidery, Sylvie Deschamps painstakingly hand created a sumptuous haute couture "party dress", the l'habit de fete,  of the highest quality, that encases the bottle.

From Guerlain:

“L’Habit de Fête” (“The Festive Attire”) 

A covering designed as an imperial coronation robe. The festoons of the dome and 69 bees are embroidered in a raised pattern with 24-carat varnished gold cannetille thread on a white organza sheath. The wings are made of gold leaf and gold powder was sprinkled between the bees to represent pollen. The label is embroidered following the principles of the art of heraldry: the imperial crown and bee on a shield over crossed swords, as well as two dates recalling the 160th anniversary. For the finishing details: the iconic bottle neck is wrapped in gold thread, using the technique of the Guerlain “Dames de Tables” craftswomen. In addition, the stopper, dressed in organza, is finely embroidered with a majestic Queen Bee, who reigns proudly over the piece.