Chelsea porcelain figural scent bottle, 18th-century, circa 1768

A rare Chelsea Porcelain scent bottle, eighteenth century, circa 1768, in the form of Cupid, disguised as a shepherd boy, playing a pipe, seated next to a tree stump covered in applied flowers and foliage. The strap of his bag bears the motto "MA FLUTE EST POUR MA BELLE". A lamb is lying by his side looking up at him, and another one on the ground behind; the base is decorated with flowers and leaves in gold. With gold mount and, rarely, the original stopper in the form of a flower. 7.6cm (3in) high

Condition: Most unusually, there appears to be no damage at all to the porcelain, not even to the petals of the flowers or the ears of the lambs, and no restoration was found under inspection with ultraviolet light. The stopper is also original with no damage. The one deficiency is that there was most likely a gold band around the top of the trunk, immediately below the gold stopper socket.

References: For an identical example, see G. E. Bryant, The Chelsea Porcelain Toys, p.84, plate 21, no.1, The Medici Society, 1925.