Vase

From the Getty Museum record

Although primarily a decorative object, this bowl may once have held potpourri. Containers for potpourri first appeared in the 1700s in France, made from precious metals, porcelain, lacquer, or hardstones; recipes for their sweet-smelling contents were soon prevalent. In the late 1700s, the taste of collectors stimulated a renewed interest in hardstones mounted with gilt bronze. These mounts show the boldness and angularity of the early Neoclassical style known as *goût grec* (Greek taste).