Around 1912, perfume bottles featuring1 a topless woman’s profile set into a delicate2 net of silver curves appeared in France. The bottles of Fougere, crafted of b document.write(" ");ad_dst = ad_dst+1; 

lue-green glass, caught people’s attention,3 just as the fragrance¹ within captured their hearts.4 Created by French craftsman² Rene Lalique, such innovative³ bottles helped make perfume an essential female accessory5 for the modern age. Using new materials and designs, Lalique took the art of making perfume bottles further than anyone had ever dreamed. 

Perfume and the containers used to hold it date back to6 long before Lalique’s time. Scholars seem to agree that the Egyptians were the first to use perfume, mainly in the form of scented⁴ oils. The Egyptians stored perfumes in tall stone bottles with narrow necks, while the ancient Greeks kept them in hand-painted, animal-shaped vases. Later, wealthy Romans carried their most valued perfumes in hollowed-out precious stones. But until Lalique’s time, perfumes were always sold in plain, inexpensive bottles, then poured into higher-quality containers at home. 
　　 约在 1912 年，一款以裸身美女侧面肖像为主题，由银色曲线交织成精致网底背景的香水瓶现身于法国。这款名为 Fougere（法文，常用于形容令人神清气爽、带有藻类味道的香味）的香水，其瓶身系以蓝绿色的玻璃刻制而成，除了吸引众人的目光，更和瓶内的香水一样掳获人心。这一创新款式的香水瓶是由法国工艺大师热内·拉立克所设计，它间接带动了香水成为现代女性不可或缺的随身物件之一。通过使用新颖的材质与设计，拉立克将香水瓶制作艺术提升至前所未见的境界。 

　　 香水及其盛装的容器由来已久，远比拉立克的时代还早。学者们似乎一致同意埃及人是最早使用香水的人，当时的香水大多是薰香的精油。埃及人将香水装在瓶颈窄细的瘦长石瓶中保存；古希腊人则以手绘动物造型的瓶子来保存香水。之后，富有的罗马人将最珍贵的香水装在中空的宝石里，佩戴在身上。但在拉立克的时代以前，香水一直都是装在简朴、廉价的容器内贩售，人们买回家之后再倒进质量较高的容器里。

Vocabulary 

● 1. feature v. to include sth. as a major part 以 … 为特色；主要包括 … 

Our rock and roll band features two drummers, two guitarists, and a singer. 

　　我们的摇滚乐团主要包括两名鼓手、两名吉他手及一名主唱。 

● 2. delicate adj. beautiful, light, and graceful⁵ 精致巧的；细致的 

Marie’s new diamond ring makes her delicate hand look even better. 

　　玛丽的新钻戒让她的纤纤玉手显得更美。 

● 3. catch sb.’s attention v. phr. to get sb. to notice sb./sth. 吸引某人的注意 

The beautiful woman in the red dress caught Nick’s attention immediately. 

　　那名身着红色洋装的美女立刻引起尼克的注意。 
4. capture sb.’s heart v. phr. to get sb. to love sb./sth. 掳获人心；赢得 … 的心 

Jack⁶ captured Tina’s heart by sending her flowers every day for a week. 

　　杰克连续一个礼拜天天送花给提娜，因而赢得了她的芳心。 

5. accessory n. an extra thing sb. wears or uses that increases their appeal 饰品；配件 

Expensive watches are popular accessories for rich businessmen. 

　　昂贵的表是深受富商喜爱的饰品。 

6. date back to v. phr. to have originated at some time in the past 追溯至 … 年代；自 … 时起存在至今 

These plant fossils date back to the age of the dinosaurs⁷. 

　　这些植物化石可追溯至恐龙时代。 

More Information 

1. topless adj. 上身裸露的；上空的 

2. profile n. 侧面肖像；轮廓 

3. fragrance n. 香气；芳香 

4. innovative adj. 革新的；创新发明的