Scent Flask

Artists

Description

Flattened baluster on small rim foot, hung with a chain, with removable cover, engraved with borders of dog teeth enclosing on one side a panel of foliate scrolls, the other a scene of a cherub by a lake with a townscape behind. This flask is a miniature version of a pilgrim bottle. Such “toys” were customarily sold at fairs such as St. Bartholomew’s, which took place on the outskirts of London, or Stourbridge, which was held outside Cambridge.

Dimensions

6.3 × 4.1 × 2.5 cm (2 1/2 × 1 5/8 × 1 in.) 33 g

Provenance

David Berg, New York, bequest; to the Fogg Museum, 1999.