The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of February 17, 2025

Perfume Case (Etui flaconnier)
c. 1780
Overall: 12.6 x 2.6 cm (4 15/16 x 1 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade 1916.324
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
Perfume was an important part of the French toilette, a lengthy ritual of washing and dressing practiced by members of the French social elite.Description
Resting inside this case is a small octagonal crystal flask that would have held perfume. The painted miniatures are decorated with vernis martin, a popular varnish that imitated East Asian true lacquer. These scenes of rural merriment were often miniature reproductions of well-respected artists of the period. The depiction of three children and a dog on the lower portion of the case was drawn from Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s The Happy Family (L’heureuse fécondité) (1777).- {{cite web|title=Perfume Case (Etui flaconnier)|url=false|author=|year=c. 1780|access-date=17 February 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.324