Sunburst and Similar Scent bottles from Antique Bottle & Glass Collector magazine for collectorz of antique bottles, nasa

Scent bottles became not only fashionable but essential for social activities of the early 19^th century to mask unpleasant odors in those predeoderant days. They were usually round, teardrop, or square shapes and generally small and thin or flat so they could be easily carried. Intricate patterns such as seahorses, circles, sunbursts, flowers and geometric patterns in brilliant colors were popular.

Traditionally a symbol of status, scent bottles, and particularly sunburst scent bottles are still prized today by collectors. Although they have attained considerable attention, very little about their history and manufacture has been written. They have been generally attributed to the Sandwich Glass Works and other glasshouses by comparison of their glass with products of known origin and digging in glasshouse ruins. The lack of word embossing except for the words “PEACE” and “PLENTY” found on two specimens has made their history somewhat mysterious.

SUNBURST SCENT PATTERNS AND FORMS
The sunburst scents have been divided into seven categories of patterns based upon their shape or specimen characteristics. These are numbered by Roman Numerals as follows:

The forms observed in each category are numbered consecutively (Eg. HII-3). Thirty-two different forms are catalogued. The scents are described with the observed colors and identifying characteristics in the category figures and Table 1. The specimens range in size from 3 1/4 inches tall for the HI-1 to 1 5/8 inches tall for the HVI-8. Most of the shields are about 3 inches tall. The term “bead” is used to describe a small round domed protrusion on the surface.

Scent bottles are referenced to the Gardner Collection1, McKearin and Wilson2, McKearin and McKearin3, and the Blaske Collection. Photographs of representative specimens are shown in Photo 1 through 11.

Most specimens are found in deep solid colors (similar to Sandwich Glass Company products) or colorless (clear). Specimens are usually dark tones or colorless with lighter colors being the exception. The colors observed are:

Of these colors, the greens, amethyst, light blue and peacock blue are the least commonly observed. Cobalt blue and colorless are the most frequently observed colors.

To describe comparative rarity of specimens, the scale used is similar to that used by McKearin in rating Historical Flasks reflecting the approximate number of specimens. The scale is as follows:

The rating refers to the form only irrespective of color. However, as a collectable category, sunburst scents on the whole are not commonly observed. Except for the McKearin Collection, there have been very few sunburst scent specimens in the major collections that have been sold publicly, and there are very few specimens on display in the major museums. Although rare, the most frequently observed forms are the HIII-5 in cobalt blue and the HIV-1 in colorless. However, other colors in these two forms are extremely rare.

Scent bottles have been growing in popularity with collectors because of their attractiveness and rarity. This initial cataloguing should help collectors to better identify their specimens and hopefully will act as a springboard for additional information on these bottles.