Bulgarian rose-oil souvenir flask

Object/Artifact

-

Archive of Cuban Socialism

Name/Title

Bulgarian rose-oil souvenir flask

Entry/Object ID

2025.9.1

Description

A small lathe-turned wooden flask with a bulbous onion-dome top and a knob finial, ornamented in pyrography (poker-work) with hand-painted accents. One face shows a red rose with green leaves on a cross-hatched panel; the reverse has a geometric/floral motif in orange and green; the dome carries colored dots and the base band is burned with ring-and-dot borders and the word "BULGARIA." The form is the standard Bulgarian souvenir flacon made to hold a small vial of rose oil/perfume.

Use

Belonged to Marial Iglesias Utset.

Context

Sold in the parallel market. Imported from Bulgaria. When the perfume bottle was empty, some people refilled it with water; used for gifts in the late-1980s.

Acquisition

Accession

2025.9

Source or Donor

Marial Iglesias Utset

Acquisition Method

Gift

Made/Created

Place

Country

Bulgaria

Region

Eastern Europe

Continent

Europe

Notes

Maker: Unidentified Bulgarian craft/souvenir producer; the object bears only the country mark "BULGARIA," no maker name. Date: No date on the object. Decorated wooden rose-oil souvenirs were produced throughout the socialist-era People's Republic of Bulgaria. Place of Origin: Bulgaria (per the burned "BULGARIA" mark; rose oil is associated with the Rose Valley, Kazanlak/Karlovo region).

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Engraving

Transcription

Bulgaria

Notes

"BULGARIA" pyrographically burned on the base band. No other marks visible on the exterior.

Dimensions

Height

9 cm

Dimension Notes

one bottle is 2 cms wide, the other is 4 cms wide

Parts

wooden case, wooden cap, glass bottle (one container is missing the glass bottle)

Accessories

Accessory

bottle

Notes

One of the cases is missing the small bottle inside, where the perfume was kept

Materials

Material

Wood, Glass

Material Notes

Materials: Turned wood; pyrographic (scorched) decoration; hand-applied paint; varnish/lacquer finish. Likely an inner glass vial for the rose oil/perfume (not confirmed). Technique: Lathe-turned wood with poker-work (pyrography) ornament and painted color accents, sealed with varnish; two-part construction (pull- or screw-off top) designed to house a perfume vial.

Condition

Overall Condition

Good

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

Marial Iglesias Utset

Notes

owner

Related Places

Place

City

Havana

Country

Cuba

Region

Caribbean, Central America

Notes

ownership

Place

Country

Bulgaria

Region

Eastern Europe

Continent

Europe

Notes

production

Research Notes

Notes

Type: a classic Bulgarian tourist/export souvenir — a decorated wooden flacon holding "Bulgarian rose" attar/perfume (rozovo maslo) from the Rose Valley; produced in quantity during the socialist period for tourists and export, often containing rose oil from Bulgarian state perfumery enterprises.

Notes

These flacons were made to hold Bulgarian rose oil, which comes from one place in particular: the Rose Valley south of the Balkan Mountains, made up of the Kazanlak valley (east, on the Tundzha) and the Karlovo/Kalofer valley (west, on the Stryama). The valley has cultivated roses for centuries and produces close to half the world's rose oil, and Kazanlak is the center of rose-oil extraction in Bulgaria — the town also hosts the Museum of Roses. During the socialist period, rose-oil production was concentrated in state enterprises in this region (the lineage behind today's "Bulgarska Rosa" / Bulgarian Rose, Karlovo).

Created By

María A. Cabrera Arús

Create Date

July 30, 2025

Updated By

María A. Cabrera Arús

Update Date

June 18, 2026