Fragrance & Form: How the Evolution of the Bottle Shaped Perfume

In this live virtual lecture, historian and fragrance scholar Nuri McBride will explore the deep historical relationship between fragrance and the vessels that carried it in the ancient world. Far more than passive containers, early perfume vessels shaped how scent was made, used, and understood across ancient societies.

Rather than viewing fragrance vessels and perfumery as separate crafts, we’ll uncover how they were deeply interconnected within shared material cultures, social practices, and sensory worlds. You’ll learn how innovations in vessel technologies opened new possibilities for fragrance production and use, and how changing scent traditions propelled new craftsmanship in media like glass, alabaster, and ceramics.

You will love this class if you are:

• a lover of perfume history

• a flacon collector

• a perfumer wanting to expand their cultural knowledge