Infant Bacchus 1750 - 1760

This is an Infant Bacchus perfume bottle made of soft-paste porcelain at the Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory in England in the mid-18th century. During the 1700s, London became a hub for luxury goods. This bottle gives us a sense of the collecting habits and decorative tastes of elite society during the period of the Enlightenment. Its existence speaks to the growth of manufacturing and international trade, but also to the visual culture of collecting and display. The fine porcelain material came at great expense, reflecting the rise of European aristocratic collecting culture that took inspiration from antiquity. Perfume bottles became extremely popular during this period, often decorated with classical motifs and symbols of wealth and status. The figure of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, ecstasy, and fertility, would have appealed to collectors who saw their own privileged lifestyles reflected in classical mythology. By researching the history of porcelain manufacturing, we can learn more about the culture of collecting and display in 18th century England.