Perfume Sprinkler

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Perfume Sprinkler

Egypt or Syria, 14th century
Glass
Glass, free-blown, marvered and combed
Height: 4 in. (10.16 cm)
The Madina Collection of Islamic Art, gift of Camilla Chandler Frost (M.2002.1.11)
Not currently on public view

Curator Notes

...
A necessity of good hygiene in the medieval Islamic world was a pleasing scent, achieved by burning incense and wearing perfumes made of essential oils and crushed herbs. The oils were housed in small glass sprinklers, like this marvelous striated bottle, which may have been carried on the body, as examples of this type with handles were once suspended from a belt or necklace. The practice of perfuming spread from the Muslim markets to Europe after the eleventh century.
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Bibliography

  • Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015.

  • Komaroff, Linda. Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016.