Antique Venetian Foiled Glass Scent Bottles

In this guide I will introduce you to the world of Venetian foiled glass scent bottles. These beautiful works of art were produced in Venice and were manufactured for the tourist market during the mid 19th century.

The foiled glass was flecked throughout with glittering metallic particles and is known as aventurine glass. This glass was named for the type of quartz that is similar in appearance to this type of glass. The Murano glassmakers say that the term aventurine is derived for the Italian word for chance and according to legend, the process was discovered by accident.

The bottles were made by pressing globs of glass mixed with foil onto the bottles. Millefiori canes with tiny portraits in them decorate some of the most rare of all examples. Another interesting technique is the usage of goldstone threading to create patterns or stripes in the glass. This was sparkling goldstone effect was achieved by adding minute particles of copper into the colored molten glass threads then inlaid onto the hot surface of the bottle.

The scent bottles typically have ornate gilded brass flip top caps crowned with a glass or semi precious faceted jewel, the caps are usually suspended from chains attached to a ring to hang on a chatelaine or finger. A tiny cut glass stopper should be inside, under the cap, however these aren't always intact as they are easily lost.

Your bottle may be black (amethyst) glass or a very deep cranberry shade inside. If your cap is loosened from the bottle, hold up the small neck of the bottle to a strong light and you can see the color of the bottle. Caps can be easily re-affixed with dental plaster.

At times, some bottles will show damage in the form of cracks or chipped areas. If your bottle is the rare style with portrait canes, damage may be acceptable to some collectors. Though be sure to note any damage in your listing.

Most of the bottles date around the 1860s during the height of the Grand Tours. Some souvenir bottles can be found with "Venice" written on the side in glass. The two most well known makers of these bottles were the highly talented Italian glass artists, Giovanni Battista Franchini and Antonio Salviati.

Later, the English & Americans began imitating the popular Venetian foiled glass, by blowing glass bottles and rolling them into gold, silver or mica flakes to achieve a spangled effect. The bottles were finished by then casing the bottles with clear glass to protect the sparkling treatment. The English & American made bottles are easily identified as almost every one has a silver or silver gilt cap, so check for hallmarks. These later bottles came about around 1880s and lasted until around 1900 or so.


Note: I sometimes see dealers calling these scent bottles "Vasa Murrhina". According to Kovels: