"Leurs âmes" bottle for parfums d’Orsay

Mould-blown white glass bottle with a press-moulded stopper made for "Leurs âmes" perfume by Orsay. René Lalique, a jeweller famous for the originality of his creations, started making glassware at the turn of the 20th century. In 1908 he rented a factory in the Paris suburb of Combs-la-ville before moving to Wingen-sur-Moder, Alsace in 1921. He created his first bottles at the request of François Coty, who revolutionised perfume-making by combining artificial fragrances based on advances in chemistry with natural essences and by emphasizing the bottle and presentation. Lalique did not just design forms and decorations: he filed several patents for improved moulding, implemented press-moulding in 1909 and developed cold patinas, which were more economical than enamelling and set off the relief. These remarkable pieces belong to a group of 28 that Marc Lalique, René's son, gave the Conservatory in 1944.