The Flacon Mauresque (Moorish), created around 1910, stands out as one of Guerlain’s most exotic and opulent designs, reflecting the fascination with Orientalist aesthetics that pervaded French decorative arts in the early 20th century. This long-necked, carafe-style bottle was almost certainly produced by Pochet et du Courval in a single mould, measuring 22.5 cm in height and with a generous capacity of 250cc. Its design was based on a 17th-century Persian or Moorish perfume flacon preserved in the Guerlain family collection, which served as a direct source of inspiration.
The body of the Flacon Mauresque has a distinctive four-sided belly paired with a tall, gadrooned neck, its form evoking both antique vessels and Oriental craftsmanship. The surface is richly decorated with lacquer and polychrome enamel, hand-painted with delicate motifs of daisies, flowers, geometric threads, and friezes of triangles or pastilles. These designs, applied in a variety of vivid colors, reinforced the sense of luxury and exotic refinement. Each example is slightly unique, as both bottle and stopper were mouth-blown, and the stoppers themselves varied in shape while also receiving the same lacquer and enamel treatments.
Guerlain used this rare Oriental-inspired bottle for several of its important perfumes, including Quand Vient l’Été, Jicky, L’Heure Bleue, and Kadine. The base of the bottle is embossed with “Guerlain Paris,” confirming its authenticity. The presentation box was no less striking: it bore a marbled effect in shades of brown, black, green, and orange, further enhancing the bottle’s exotic flair.
Because only one mould was created by Pochet et du Courval, and given the hand-decorated nature of its production, the Flacon Mauresque remains a particularly rare and highly coveted example of Guerlain’s artistry, a vessel that perfectly encapsulates the house’s early embrace of Orientalist design in both fragrance and presentation.
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