Antique French Faience Apothecary Box Pommade au Musc 18th Century Roses Hand Painted Veuve Perrin Sceaux Strasbourg
The antique french faience apothecary box, dating from the 18th century, is a beautiful example of period craftsmanship. This particular piece, used for a beauty preparation known as "pommade au musc, " features a white faience ground with hand-painted reddish-pink roses. Standing 2 inches tall with a lid diameter of 2.5 inches, the box is adorned with a tarnished silver mounting, indicating its age and authenticity. Despite its unmarked state, similar mountings have been observed on pieces from renowned faience producers such as sceaux and veuve perrin. French faience is a type of tin-glazed earthenware that originated in france and became highly popular during the 16th to 18th centuries.
This form of ceramic ware is known for its white, opaque glaze that provides a perfect background for vibrant hand-painted designs. The term "faience" is derived from the italian city of faenza, which was renowned for its high-quality ceramics, but the technique and style were adopted and refined in various regions of france. Antique french faience is highly collectible today, prized for its beauty, historical significance, and craftsmanship. Collectors value pieces with intact glazes and original hand-painted designs. Due to its age and fragility, faience must be handled with care to preserve its condition and prevent damage. Veuve perrin, a factory located in marseille, france, operated between 1748 and 1803.The factory was initially run by claude perrin, who was born in nevers in 1696 and moved to marseille in 1733, where he died in 1748. After his death, his widow pierette candelot took over the factory, leading it under the name veuve perrin. She formed a partnership with honoré savy, a member of the academy of painting and sculpture in marseille, from 1760 to 1770, although their collaboration diminished after 1764 when savy established his own company. In 1774, veuve perrin partnered with her son and antoine abellard, a descendant of antoine clérissy, continuing operations until her death in 1794.
Her children, joseph and anne, managed the factory until its closure in 1803. The sceaux factory, founded in 1748 by von de bey and jacques chapelle, began producing soft paste porcelain in 1763. The factory changed hands several times, with the final owner being marsault in 1810, after which production ceased shortly thereafter. Despite a chip in the faience on the lid near the hinge, the piece remains a rare and stunning addition to any dressing table or apothecary pot collection. It exemplifies the elegance and meticulous craftsmanship of 18th-century french faience. The box's historical significance and aesthetic appeal make it a valuable collectible. Pomades, such as the pommade au musc, were widely used in the 18th and 19th centuries for maintaining hair and enhancing skin appearance. Musk pomade was particularly prized for its strong, enduring scent and was often used as a base in other pomades. It was known for its aphrodisiac properties and was applied by women to attract the opposite sex, typically massaged into the inner thighs before intimate encounters. French artisans, particularly those in grasse, excelled in producing musk pomades, contributing to the region's reputation as a prime producer of fragrant fats, powders, oils, and distilled alcoholic solutions of ambergris, musk, vanilla, and other ingredients. Jean franois houbigant introduced a notable musk pomade in 1795, which became popular among the incroyables and merveilleuses, fashionable members of parisian aristocracy during the french directory period (17951799). This heavy use of musk led to the nickname muscadins.Although a recipe containing ambergris and musk fell out of favor in the 1760s, it was revived by c. Bertrand in 1809, who updated it with vanilla.
Empress josephine famously impregnated the walls of her malmaison palace with musk, underscoring its powerful and long-lasting fragrance. For those intrigued by historical recipes, here is a mid-1800s recipe for pommade au musc. Melt eight pounds of prepared fat, consisting of half pork fat, a quarter beef fat, and a quarter mutton fat, in a double boiler. Once melted and slightly cooled, add two grains of musk, four grains of musk essence, six musk grains, and three ounces of powdered musk grains. Mix thoroughly to form an even blend, then transfer the ointment into jars.
This antique faience apothecary box, with its rich history and exquisite detailing, is a testament to the luxurious and aromatic world of 18th-century beauty preparations. This item is made of faience and silver.