Silver-gilt Perfume Bottle, Early 19th Century

Vermeil Perfume Bottle
Early 19th century
Charming perfume bottle in vermeil(gilded sterling silver, 925), shaped like a gourd and finely engraved withdecorative friezes. Each side features a pierced cartouche centered with a classical-stylemask, surrounded by an openwork motif of foliage and birds. These cartouchesopen to reveal a hidden inner compartment adorned with tortoiseshell. Thisclever concealment was once used to store scented pastilles or aromaticcrystals.The bottle is topped with a finelysculpted stopper, depicting a bearded figure holding what appear to be twolarge plates. The stopper slides along two chains attached to each side of thebottle and is connected to a large ring, allowing the piece to be suspended.
A signature on the ring :Arglan ?  

Dimensions:
• Height without stopper or chain: approx. 6.6 cm
• Height from top of the figure to base: approx. 9 cm
• Full height with ring and chain: approx. 14 cm
• Width (at chain attachments): approx. 4.3 cm
Total gross weight: 27.8 g
Hallmarks: French swan mark (guaranteeing 925/1000 silver)
Condition: Good overall conditionfor a piece of this age. Both compartments open; one closes less easily, likelydue to a slight dent in the metal. The stopper fits properly but does not stayclosed, likely because the original sealing material (such as cork) is missing.It still slides smoothly along the chain.Note: A similar bottle — with thesame shape and circular opening mechanism, but in gold — is held in the Muséedu Parfum (Fragonard collection - Paris), dated between 1774 and 1780.