Flacon Rayonnant (Radiance) c1932-1983

The Flacon Rayonnant, also known as the Radiance bottle, was created in 1932 and remained in use until 1983. Its most distinctive feature is the striking radiating design that decorates its body, a motif intended to evoke both light and movement. Baccarat first produced this flacon to house the parfum Vol de Nuit, later extending its use to include Sous le Vent. The design was stylized to resemble the spinning blades of an airplane propeller—an homage to aviator and novelist Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and his famous work Vol de Nuit (Night Flight) and "Courrier Sud", which inspired the fragrance.

A particularly notable feature of the Flacon Rayonnant is its square-shaped ground glass stopper, whose flat top is elegantly encased in a gilded metal “jacket” engraved with the Guerlain name. This complements the distinctive metal label on the body of the bottle, designed to evoke the engine of an airplane propeller and reinforce the aviation theme of Vol de Nuit. The perfume’s name is centered within two concentric bands, creating a cut-out effect that adds visual depth and echoes the mechanical precision of the radiating flacon design. For the smallest sizes, Guerlain cleverly substituted a gilded cardboard label that mimicked the metal version, preserving the aesthetic and thematic cohesion across all formats. These combined details—the metal label and gilded stopper—recall the elegance of the George Chevalier-designed Djedi bottle, which similarly featured gilded metal accents, demonstrating Guerlain’s consistent attention to luxury, craftsmanship, and decorative harmony.

The production of this bottle was undertaken by three major glassworks. Baccarat created the original mould, while Brosse contributed five moulds, and Pochet et du Courval developed eight. Over the decades, these bottles were often made in limited runs, with slight variations in their appearance. They could be found in shades ranging from smoky green to completely clear glass. Notably, some clear crystal examples survive without any identifiable glassmaker’s trademark, which adds to their rarity and intrigue among collectors.

One such bottle, in clear crystal and without a maker’s mark, has been documented containing Sous le Vent. It holds 250cc and measures 12 cm in height, with its base acid-etched “Guerlain Made in France.” While the flacon debuted with Vol de Nuit, it was also used to present Sous le Vent between 1950 and 1972. The Rayonnant remains one of Guerlain’s most visually symbolic bottles, merging aviation-inspired modernism with the timeless elegance of French perfume design.

The perfumes Vol de Nuit and Sous le Vent were also presented in Guerlain’s iconic quadrilobe stopper bottle for the larger formats of 500 ml and 1 litre. This standard flacon, with its rounded shoulders and distinctive quatrefoil-shaped stopper, was reserved for the house’s most prestigious perfumes and served as a unifying design across Guerlain’s offerings. It provided a more formal and enduring presentation for these fragrances compared to the sculptural specialty flacons.

By the 1980s, Vol de Nuit continued to appear in the quadrilobe bottle across several sizes. The 60 ml size was introduced in the early 1980s, while the 15 ml version had been in use since October 1908, and the 7.5 ml miniature format became available from September 1981. This continuity of presentation demonstrates Guerlain’s strategy of adapting the quadrilobe flacon to a wide range of sizes and markets, ensuring the perfume’s identity remained consistent across decades.

At the same time, the radiating flacon associated with Vol de Nuit—its propeller-like design directly tied to the perfume’s aviation theme—remained in production as well. Even as late as 1997, this bottle was still offered in the 30 ml size for Vol de Nuit, proving that Guerlain retained both the traditional quadrilobe and the more symbolic Rayonnant flacon within its catalogue. The parallel use of these two designs illustrates Guerlain’s balance between heritage and innovation, with the quadrilobe embodying timeless house identity and the Rayonnant serving as a striking thematic statement for one of its most celebrated fragrances.

Sizes:

Baccarat:

Baccarat created one mould, smoked glass, acid etched with trademark and "Guerlain Paris" or "Guerlain France."

• Mould #771 - 80cc/80ml/2.7 oz - (limited edition of only 8000 single copies) (1937) 

Brosse:

Brosse created five smoked glass bottles engraved with "Guerlain - Bottle Made in France - VB."

• Mould #7 = 20ml - 6.6cm
• Mould #7 = 30ml - 7.2cm
• Mould #7 = 60ml - 8.6cm, thickness 2.7cm, width 6.7cm.
• Mould #7 = 80ml - 8.5cm, thickness 3.1cm, width 6.9cm.
• Mould #82085 = 125ml - 9.8cm, smoked glass, engraved "Guerlain - Paris - Made in France - VB" (Nov 1981)

Pochet et du Courval:

Pochet created eight moulds, smoked glass.

• Mould #18079 = 10cc/10ml/0.388 oz - 5.3cm/2.09, etched "Guerlain - Made in France - HP" (1954) changed to 7.5ml/0.25 oz engraved  "Guerlain Paris - Bottle Made in France - HP" (1962-1981) 
• Mould #18105 = 20cc/20ml/0.676 oz - 6.6cm/2.6" (1955) changed to 15ml/0.5 oz, engraved  "Guerlain Paris - Bottle Made in France - HP" (1962-1980) 
• Mould #15021 = 30cc/30ml/1 oz - 7.2cm/2.83" (1934) 
• Mould #15420 = 40cc/40ml/1.35 oz (1937-1959) 
• Mould #19120 = 60cc/60ml/2 oz- 8.6cm/3.39" (thickness 2.7cm/1.06", width 6.7cm/2.64") (1962) changed to 55ml/1.86 oz - 8.5cm/3.35" (1977-1983) 
• Mould #14843 = 82cc/82ml/2.77 oz - 8.5cm/3.35" (thickness 3.1cm/1.22", width 6.9cm/2.72") (1932-1963) 
• Mould #14955 = 125cc/125ml/4.2 oz - 9.5cm/3.74" (1933) changed to 125ml/125ml/4.2 oz - 9.8/3.86"cm (1979-1984) 
• Mould #14957 = 250cc/250ml/8.4 oz - 11.8cm/4.65" (1933)

Bottles:

Scents:

• Sous le Vent
• Vol de Nuit