Pair French Pink Opaline Perfume Bottles with Green Serpents Attrib. Baccarat

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Pair of French Pink Opaline Perfume Bottles with Applied Green Serpents Attributed to Baccarat

A striking and highly decorative pair … Read more Pair of French Pink Opaline Perfume Bottles with Applied Green Serpents Attributed to Baccarat

A striking and highly decorative pair of French opaline glass perfume bottles attributed to Baccarat, dating to the mid-19th century, circa 1845–1865. These elegant flacons exemplify the refined artistry of the French luxury glass industry during the Second Empire, combining vivid color, exceptional craftsmanship, and symbolic ornament.

Each bottle is blown in luminous rose-pink opaline glass with a gracefully proportioned baluster form rising to an elongated original stopper. Spiraling around each neck is an expertly applied pale green opaline serpent, individually hand-worked while hot and seamlessly fused to the vessel. The serpent, a popular Romantic motif of the period, symbolizes wisdom, eternity, renewal, and protection, lending both visual drama and symbolic meaning to the design.

The surfaces are enriched with delicate hand-painted gilt floral sprays and scrolling vines, adding a subtle layer of elegance against the richly colored opaline ground. The surviving original matching stoppers are a particularly desirable feature, as these are frequently lost over time.

Although unmarked, the quality of the opaline glass, sophisticated applied decoration, and refined gilding closely resemble documented examples produced by Baccarat during the mid-19th century. The combination of vivid pink opaline, applied serpents, and gilt ornament is considerably less common than standard French perfume bottles of the era, making this an especially appealing pair for collectors of fine French glass.

The bottles measure 7.25 inches and 7.5 inches in height. This slight variation is entirely consistent with authentic mid-19th-century hand-blown glass production. Before the widespread adoption of industrial standardization, luxury glass objects were individually blown, shaped, and finished by hand, making subtle differences in height, proportion, and profile both expected and desirable as evidence of their handmade origin.

Presented in very good antique condition with expected wear to the gilding consistent with age and use.

Dimensions

Taller bottle: 7.5 in. H × 3.5 in. Dia.
Smaller bottle: 7.25 in. H × 3.5 in. Dia. See less