Code: 10155
Dimensions:
Small but perfectly formed, this novelty George III, c1810 silver novelty scent bottle is modelled on a lighthouse, located on the dangerous Eddystone rocks in Cornwall. Of tapering cylindrical form with engraved rustication to one side, and a bright cut engraved vacant cartouche to the other. The silver marks underneath are worn.
The scent bottle is an interpretation of Smeaton’s lighthouse, completed in 1759 it was the third to be built on the Eddystone rocks. It was 59 feet (18 m) high, had a diameter at the base of 26 feet (8 m) and at the top of 17 feet (5 m) and was lit by a chandelier of 24 large tallow candles. The lighthouse stood until 1882 after it was discovered that erosion to the rocks under it was causing it to shake when hit by large waves. Douglass's lighthouse, which replaced it, still stands today.
Whoever acquires this scent bottle will not only have to be its custodian but also responsible for passing down its story. Without it, the item is just a pretty little silver scent bottle.
