Name/Title
"Krasnaya Moskva" (Красная Москва / "Red Moscow") Eau de cologne flaconEntry/Object ID
2025.6.30Description
Flat, wide flask-form bottle in colorless pressed glass with rounded shoulders and a short externally-threaded neck. A molded "jagged arch" (зубчатая арка) relief band — the brand's signature crenellated/Kremlin-wall motif — spans the upper body above the label. Cream/ivory ribbed-top plastic screw cap (vertical knurling on the rim, smooth body), aged and yellowed. A small residue of oxidized amber cologne remains pooled at the base; the bottle is otherwise empty. A figured red paper label with white lettering is centered on the front: "ОДЕКОЛОН" across the top, "КРАСНАЯ МОСКВА" arched around a large stylized white "M."Use
Belonged to Mirta MartínezContext
"Krasnaya Moskva" is the most famous and enduring fragrance of Soviet perfumery. Its formula descends from a pre-revolutionary composition (popularly tied to the Brocard/Henri Brocard house and a 1913 scent associated with the Romanov tercentenary, "Lyubimy buket imperatritsy" / "the Empress's favorite bouquet"); after nationalization it was reworked and relaunched by the Moscow factory Novaya Zarya, with the launch of "Krasnaya Moskva" most commonly dated to 1925. The eau de cologne (одеколон) version was a cheaper, lower-concentration, mass-market staple sold for decades and widely recognized across the socialist bloc.Collection
The Martínez Suquet family collection, Mirta Martínez Forteza collectionAcquisition
Accession
2025.6Source or Donor
Mirta SuquetAcquisition Method
GiftMade/Created
Manufacturer
Novaya ZaryaPlace
City
MoscowCountry
U.S.S.R.Region
Eastern EuropeContinent
EuropeEdition
Red MoscowNotes
Flacon design: signature "jagged arch" element credited to Novaya Zarya's in-house artist A. Evseev (design attribution; not a mark on this object).
Date: Soviet-era circa 1960s–1980s. The cream (non-red) plastic cap argues against a post-mid-1990s production (red plastic caps post-date that point), and the relief figured label and molded arch read as vintage. However, this flat flask form does not match the standard documented rectangular "jagged-arch" Novaya Zarya flacon series.Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
LabelTranscription
ОДЕКОЛОН, КРАСНАЯ МОСКВАLanguage
RussianTranslation
cologne, red moscowNotes
Molded glass: "jagged arch" relief band, no legible molded text (no volume, GOST/OST, or price visible in this view).
Label (lithographed, white on red): "ОДЕКОЛОН / КРАСНАЯ МОСКВА" around a stylized "M." No factory logo (no ТЭЖЭ/TEZHE mark).Dimensions
Height
14 cmWidth
8 cmDepth
2.5 cmParts
Glass flask body; threaded screw cap.Materials
Material
Glass, PlasticMaterial Notes
Colorless pressed/molded glass; cream/ivory plastic (celluloid- or bakelite-type) screw cap; lithographed paper label; trace residue of cologne liquid.Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Mirta Martínez FortezaNotes
ownerRelated Places
Place
City
Pinar del RíoState/Province
Pinar del RíoCountry
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaNotes
ownershipPlace
City
MoscowCountry
U.S.S.R.Region
Eastern EuropeContinent
EuropeNotes
productionResearch Notes
Notes
Sources: Wikipedia (EN/RU) on Krasnaya Moskva and Novaya Zarya history; Novaya Zarya official shop listings for the current odekolon; Fragrantica/Parfumo brand histories; and especially collector Viktoria Vlasova's dated typology of "Krasnaya Moskva" flacons (fifi.ru, "Хронология Красной Москвы"), which establishes the no-red-caps-before-mid-1990s point and the figured-label/screw-cap dating signals — though her typology documents the standard rectangular flacon, not this flask form, which is why the date here stays tentative.Created By
María A. Cabrera ArúsCreate Date
March 31, 2022Updated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsUpdate Date
June 26, 2026