Collection Spotlight: December, 2025

Cameo Glass Perfume Bottles

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On view in the Tiny Treasures exhibit are three English cameo glass and specialty perfume bottles made by Webb and Sons. The bottles were debuted at the Paris Exposition in 1878. Decorative teardrop-shaped bottles, made for the English and American markets, were typically filled with cologne, and laid atop vanity tables. The elongated teardrop (yellow bottle) and rounded designs (blue bottle) were fairly common examples of cameo glass.

Cameo glass includes two or more layers of different colored glass, and the outer layer(s) are partly removed to create decoration in relief. The pink and white perfume bottle in the form of a bird head, inspired by water fowl, is exceptionally rare. In this piece, the upper layer of opal glass is expertly carved to reveal the brilliant cranberry-colored glass beneath it. Each feather is intricately rendered, bringing life to this unique masterpiece. Other animal-shaped bottles made by Webb and Sons included eagles, hawks, alligators, owls, and dolphins.

Although cameo glass is considered an early art form, dating back to ancient Rome, its use for decorative items, like vases and perfume bottles, can be traced to late 19th century England and Paris, France.

In the first step of creating cameo glass, “blank” vessels were layered with two colors of glass. Unlike ancient Roman versions that were carved, ground, and polished by hand, the 19th century versions were treated with acid and carved, but by no means mass produced. Shading or coloration was achieved by varying the thickness of the layers. Beeswax served as a resist, to protect some areas from being etched. Finishing the decorative bottles involved hand carving into the glass with a graver tool.

The decorative silver tops that seal the bottles were made by silversmiths like Gorham Silver, of Providence, Rhode Island, or Parisian silversmith Gustave Keller, who created tops with a locking mechanism.

These perfume bottles were gifted to the Art Complex Museum by Mrs. Darwin S Morse. She gifted similar works to other major museums. A portrait of Morse, created by John Singer Sargent, is featured in the collection of the Harvard Art Museums.

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