Fake Victorian and Antique Chatelaine Perfumes

Collectors and perfume bottle enthusiasts should exercise caution when purchasing antique scent bottles online, particularly through auction platforms such as eBay. A seller operating under the name sunil_arts_engg_works, based in India, has been noted for offering what are described as Victorian-era chatelaine scent bottles that in many cases appear to be modern assemblages rather than genuine antiques. These pieces are typically created by taking later glass bottles—often dating from the 1930s or even more recent decades—and attaching newly manufactured brass fittings designed to imitate Victorian chatelaine hardware. Once modified, the bottles are presented as antique Victorian perfume bottles or scent bottles, which can mislead buyers who are unfamiliar with the design differences between true nineteenth-century pieces and later glassware.

One of the most noticeable issues with these altered bottles is the stylistic mismatch between the glass and the hardware. Many of the bottles being used are clearly Art Deco in style, characterized by geometric shapes and design elements that emerged during the 1920s and 1930s. When paired with reproduction brass mounts meant to resemble Victorian chatelaine fittings, the result is visually inconsistent and historically inaccurate. Authentic Victorian chatelaine bottles typically feature hardware that was crafted to suit the bottle’s form and period design, whereas these modified pieces often share identical or nearly identical brass fittings across multiple listings, suggesting that the hardware is newly manufactured rather than original.

This pattern is an important warning sign for collectors. In genuine antique perfume bottles, particularly those designed to be worn on a chatelaine—the chain accessory Victorian women used to carry small personal items—the metal mounts and suspension rings were custom-made and varied widely depending on the maker. When many bottles display the exact same style of hardware, it strongly suggests modern production or later alteration rather than authentic nineteenth-century craftsmanship.

It is worth noting, however, that the seller has occasionally offered authentic antique Victorian perfume bottles among these altered or “fantasy” pieces, which can make identification even more challenging for buyers. For this reason, collectors are encouraged to carefully examine photographs, research the typical design features of Victorian scent bottles, and compare hardware details before purchasing. Looking for consistent period materials, original wear patterns, and historically appropriate design elements can help distinguish genuine antiques from later assembled pieces. Awareness of these practices can help collectors avoid mistakenly purchasing reworked or misrepresented bottles while preserving the integrity and historical appreciation of true Victorian perfume collectibles.

Bottle from Britney Spears' Curious perfume c2005

Prince Matchabelli perfume bottle c1950s

Coalport Porcelain Jeweled Ball Perfume Bottles

I won't get into the history of the Coalport firm as there is so much information to be gleaned online and in books. 

In 1780, John Rose who had been trained and apprenticed at Caughley, established a small porcelain factory in nearby Jackfield. In 1790, he moved his establishment to Coalport, just a mile farther down the Severn, and in 1799 bought the Caughley factory. The business from the first prospered exceedingly and, after Rose's death in 1841, was continued by his nephew. After 1875, the establishment was acquired by a company and the business was carried on upon the old site by the Coalport China Company. 

Much of the porcelain from the Coalport factory was sold as whiteware in London to outside decorators from all over England. Coalport worked hard to imitate the magnificent ground colors of Sevres.

Initially, Coalport followed the patterns and decorations used at Caughley, however, Coalport made excellent reproductions of the porcelain from the Sevres, Derby, Meissen, Dresden and Chelsea firms. These included direct copies of vases, cabinet pieces and tableware, even the original marks were accurately copied as well. This was achieved by employing painters from Worcester, Derby and the Staffordshire potteries. The work was so well done that collectors have been duped over the years thinking they were purchasing authentic antique porcelain from those firms but in reality purchased excellent copies made by Coalport.

"In the second half of the 19th century the Coalport manufacturers added yet another specialization to their repertoire of hand decorated porcelains. They developed the technique called “jewelling” whereby small beads of colored enamel were applied most often to a gold ground. According to the auctioneers Skinner Inc, it is thought this was first developed and introduced by the Worcester porcelain factory in the mid 1860s. Turquoise seemed to be the prevalent color, meticulously and uniformly decorating tea wares, useful wares and ornamental wares, often accompanied by a rich raised gold decoration. They were produced for sale in Britain and abroad. "

This is just a brief guide and gallery of one the firm's specialized products: ball shaped perfume (scent) bottles with hinged caps and decorated with tiny turquoise enameled dots (or beads) called "jewels." Coalport specialized in making jeweled porcelain in the Sèvres style. The porcelain was lavishly covered or accented with gold enamel and profusely embellished with rich, raised gold borders, chased and raised enamel rococo scrolling. My favorite effect is the multicolored enamel cabochons mimicking precious and semiprecious gems such as opals, moonstones and agate. 

In 1892, for example, the Pottery Gazette noted that Coalport's "ornamentation is exceedingly rich, and is shown on a great variety of fancy shapes .... The imitations of jewelled setting is [sic] very perfect , particularly the topaz and pearl."

In the reserved panels (or windows) with the ground colors, and also on porcelain without ground colors, a wide variety of decorations was utilized. All manner of naturalistic floral motifs, garlands, lacy festoons, wreaths, birds, scenic landscapes in the manner of Watteau, portraits and figures.  

The colors used as grounds on the pieces were Mazarin blue, bleu de roi (Sevres' turquoise), Rose Pompadour (incorrectly called rose du Barry), claret, salmon, teal, crimson lake, apple green, sky blue (turquoise or celeste), gray, buff, Swansea blue, a bright canary yellow, mauve, magenta, maroon, Sardinian green, cafe au lait, and others.

Chats on English China by Arthur Hayden, 1904:

"A maroon ground introduced by Walker from Nantgarw about 1822 The deep mazarine blue of Derby reproduced at Coalport is quite equal to Derby pieces in tone. The rich ground colours of old Sèvres porcelain were copied with great success at Coalport particularly the turquoise blue and the rose du Barri."

 

The China Decorator - Volumes 10-11, 1891:

"The Coalport enamelers may be quite as skillful - nay, much more so - than those of the Coalport ateliers, but their work is intended to make a greater show and attract more attention than that of the Coalport artists. Turquoise is their great material for exhibition. The article to be enameled is first covered with gold, fired, and nicely burnished. Then the enamel is laid on the graduated dots (to make it plain to the reader) from large to small in perfect sizes and pattern. Small articles for cabinets and ornament as tiny bon-bon boxes, jewel cases, scent bottles, etc., and on very small articles sometimes shows several hundred dots of enamel. Cups and saucers are also decorated in the same fashion, and such articles being from $8 or $10 each to $50 in retail shops. 

Besides a very elaborate employment of turquoise blue enamel, they also use enamels, imitating pearls and other translucent gems. With opals particularly they are very successful. The center of the article or space to be decorated first has a gold design in imitation of jewelry work, sometimes with raised paste, oftener flat. After firing and slightly polishing, the enamels are laid on for the second firing. 

The method of work is kept as great a secret as possible, and the imitation of opals, which is accomplished with a combination of transparent and semi-opaque enamels, is really marvelous. Since imitating jewels with glass has become so successful and popular, it is possible that these so called enamel opals are in reality glass jewels. It would be quite possible to make one appear quite like the other without detection, but the artists and manufacturers say the work is enameling, and there is no reason why they should misrepresent facts." 

Table Talk - Volume 8, 1893:

"A new departure is the "Chalcedony," still Coalport, but with a new blue for grounding and a perfect imitation of moss-agate, introduced with all the shadings and beauty of the real stones. Lovely plates, the centre pieces, miniatures, copied from the portraits of Reynolds and Gainesborough, again the café noir cups and saucers, the grounding the brown of the coffee berry with decorations of bright gold - the inside of cup entirely burnished gold. This delicate, exquisite porcelain seems adapted to fancy pieces for gift and cabinet purposes and the dressing tables of the fair women of many countries are beautiful with its graceful, dainty presentations."

The British Trade Journal - Volume 31, 1893

"The Coalport China Company - Rarely have more beautiful or costly pieces of china been sent to any exhibition than those forwarded to Chicago by the Coalport Company. Plates, vases, and trinket boxes comprise the greater part of this magnificent display. A specialty is the chalcedony decoration, which reproduces the hues of the agate, and there is a lovely Sèvres glaze on the ware, and the precious stone appears to have been inlaid. Two graceful vases a present for Princess Christian are adorned with this scheme." 

The Book of the Fair, Hubert Howe Bancroft · 1894

"A specialty of the Coalport China company's exhibits is its reproduction in chalcedony of the hues of agate, as may be seen in two of its vases intended for Princess Christiana."

The British Trade Journal - Volume 31,

"The Coalport China Company, in addition to a number of new goods in their first-class artistic ornamental wares, are making many novelties in useful ware, but all elegant in shape and rich in decoration. Some of their new decorations, introduced for exhibition at Chicago, will be seen this season in many of their productions for home purposes. The latest novelty they have, the "Chalcedony," is perfectly unique. It is a splendid imitation in china of "moss agate," and is most artistically introduced into almost every useful article made by the firm, dessert plates, teas, scent bottles, plaques, wall pockets, and even teacups and saucers, are all shown with this realistic imitation agate, introduced with fine effect."

Gallery of Scent Bottles:

Elaborately jeweled examples were included in Coalport's display at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago and won a gold medal and garnered much publicity. I suspect many of the designs looked like the ones below.

Marks Found on Coalport Perfume Bottles:

The Coalport Crown Mark shown below was used c1891 to 1919.

Buyer Beware! These Poison Bottles Are Not All That They Seem!

Buyer Beware! These "Poison Bottles" are not all that they seem!

There has been a recent surge in sellers offering unusual antique "poison bottles" at very high prices. In reality, the bottles themselves are genuine antiques, most appear to be scent bottles dating from 1820s-1900 period, however, unscrupulous sellers are affixing newly manufactured "silver" or "gold" plaques to the glass and offering them as authentic "poison bottles". Some of the "poison" plaques may state the "poison" such as "belladonna" or "cyanide."

Some bottles also feature silvery three-dimensional skulls soldered onto the tops of the bottle caps, these skulls just like the plaques, are NOT original to the bottles and have been added recently in order to deceive you into thinking they are improving their "value". You may also encounter double ended bottles with "Poison" on one side and "Antidote" on the other. A variation of this can be seen in some examples of "Cocaine" at one end and "Morphine" at the other. 

These sellers are capitalizing on the public's fascination with all things Victorian, morbid, death related, titillating and unusual. These items may appeal to those interested in Gothic lifestyle or fashion, anyone interested in criminal justice or crime, memento mori, Victorian era customs regarding death or just an unusual "collectible", much in the same regard as the faked "Vampire Killing Kits". These items are modern fantasy items created to fool the public and add perceived "value" to items that would be rather inexpensive without all the tomfoolery. Also included in this genre are scent bottles labeled as "tear catchers," a type of bottle I have already covered in a previous article.

Please don't be fooled into thinking these "poison" bottles are the real deal - yes, they are genuine antique SCENT bottles, but they are NOT "poison" bottles. They have been fraudulently "upcycled" and sellers are trying to convince you that they are rare. They should be regarded simply as "curiosities." 

I have been made aware of a certain etsy seller who is offering these bottles and claiming (without proof) that they came from Queen Victoria's personal physician. An ebay seller located in Bulgaria is selling MANY of these bottles in various types of decor, colors and shapes. I would think that these bottles are originating from this particular seller and being purchased from them and resold by other dealers. This same Bulgarian seller also specializes in manufacturing newly created "memento mori" jewelry and spoons as well as adding onto existing antique jewelry pieces. Common themes are skulls and snakes using both silver and gold. Some of it is beautifully crafted, but unfortunately, not original.

The "poison" bottles range in price from $1000-$3000 per bottle based on decor and style. Most of the bottles are extremely common Victorian scent bottles and would sell normally for $50-$400 without the fraudulently added "upcycling."

Gallery of Faked Poison Bottles:

All of these bottles below have been found online, mostly from one particular ebay seller located in Bulgaria.