(PERFUME). ~ [Four colour printed perfume bottle labels. Southern France, c. 1820].
4 different labels (3 are c. 35 × 55 mm, the other 58 × 70 mm). Colour printed ‘à la poupée’. Plus two contemporary monochrome labels.
Four rare perfume labels, colour printed ‘à la poupée’ with floral designs: Extrait de Rose et de Pois de senteur, Extrait de Jonquille, Extrait d’Oranges de Portugal, Extrait suave. The largest (Extrait de Rose includes a space below for a text or legend, uninked or cancelled in this example, but with traces of the engraved text visible. A charming and rare example of this colour printing technique in which each impression contains all the colours at once, with inks carefully applied to the plate with a cushion-headed tool (the ‘poupée’ or doll). The technique is immediately recognisable from the gentle gradations between the various colours of the resulting imprint.