$72,000 Chanel Perfume Bottle Becomes the Most Expensive Vintage Perfume by a Fashion House to Sell at Auction

Chanel No 5 – 2024 Perfume Bottles Auction an Ode to Coco Chanel

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, US, April 29, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — On Friday April 26, the Perfume Bottles Auction directed by Ken Leach conducted its live and online auction in conjunction with the 36th annual IPBA convention, offering an exceptional variety of bottles and vanity items sourced from private collections around the world, all fresh to market and many extremely rare.

The auction was an ode to the lasting legacy of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. Featured on the cover was the the original 1921 Chanel No 5 perfume bottle that few people had ever seen. This rare glass flask which launched the iconic Chanel interlocking “C’s” logo is extremely fragile and very few are known to have survived. Research has revealed it was available in six sizes, however the source and the design of the original bottle is still up for debate. The version auctioned was a luxurious version which was presented in a nickel plated Art Deco travel case. It is also documented to have been available in a gold plated travel case. Chanel No 5 is believed to be the most successful perfume of all time. Much like the battle dramatized in “The New Look” over the rights of Chanel No 5 between the Wertheimer’s and Gabrielle Chanel, the auction drew strong pre-auction bidding – ultimately selling to an anonymous bidder for $72,000; exceeding it’s presale estimate of $20,000-$30,000.

The annual Perfume Bottles Auction draws bidders from all corners of the world including some of the most prestigious museums. With only 100 curated lots this year, this was Ken Leach’s most successful selection.

Among the 100 lots offered, Rene Lalique’s creation of multiple perfume and cosmetics items for Roger & Gallet “Cigalia” was the second highest selling lot at $40,625; followed by an incredible c1935 Czechoslovakian glass perfume bottle by Curt Schlevogt designed by one of the famed women of the Wiener Werkstätte – Vally Wieselthier.

The plastics craftsmanship of the by-gone era was ever so present via a bakelite perfume bottle shaped as an airplane with a propeller stopper – an assembly of 13 carved parts – sold for $5,400.

Another of the auction highlights was a Trompe L’oeil perfume presentation by Les Parfums de Marcy which sold for $27,000 – designed to appear as a 1920s diamond and emerald bracelet; each emerald representing a stopper for a perfume bottle. This is one of the most sought after presentations from the 1920s. Very few are known to exist, with other known versions designed to appear as facetted Onyx, Sapphire, and Ruby bracelets.

Ken Leach and his New York City based auction team are ever so grateful to the institutions and private collectors that continue to show appreciation to the Perfume and Vanity Art.

Kenneth Leach
Perfume Bottles Auction
+1 917-881-8747
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