A pleasant conversation with collector Bekir Kantarcı: Our culture is smoking in scent bottles

MURAT ÖZTEKİN'S NEWS - Bekir Kantarcı has been chasing the scent of the past for many years... Kantarcı has been collecting antique scent bottles and objects related to scent for over thirty years. The collector, who says, “You can still smell scents that are hundreds of years old in some bottles,” says that scent used to be an art form with both its content and its bottles. Kantarcı, who brought dozens of objects he selected from his 10 thousand-piece collection to art lovers in the exhibition called “Gılaf-ı Reyya” at the Istanbul Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, considers this to be the first step of his museum dream. The exhibition, which opened with the contributions of Kuveyt Türk, is curated by art consultant Beste Gürsu. We spoke to Kantarcı...

Fragrance bottles are interesting objects. How did you come up with the idea of ​​collecting them?

I have actually been in the scent business since my university years. So I started collecting historical scent bottles to get inspiration. Then it turned into a serious collecting. It started with small objects and then it got bigger. I have been collecting scent bottles and books about scent for over thirty years. I also have a scent library.

Where do you mostly come across antiques related to scent?

At first, I would buy perfume bottles from the second-hand markets behind Beyazıt. Then I started participating in auctions. I could buy beautiful pieces at reasonable prices. Over time, other perfume collectors’ works came to me in different ways. For example, I will never forget the arrival of the materials, documents and books of the first Ottoman perfumer, Ahmed Faruki...

130 NEARLY SCENT BOTTLES

How extensive is your collection now; what does it contain?

As your collection of scent bottles expands, it becomes more difficult to classify them. I have created nearly 130 detailed titles, but my primary interest is scent bottles made of Beykoz glass, rosewater flasks and incense burners. We also have scent bottles used by Ottoman sultans and scent objects belonging to the royal families of Europe. We also have miniature pocket scent containers, each of which is like a work of art. I also collect bottles from the first cologne makers of the Ottoman Empire. In total, there are nearly ten thousand objects in my collection. My oldest piece dates back to the 1700s. I have pieces until the 1950s.

Is it because old perfume bottles are so beautiful that the value of scent was high at that time?

Of course, since scents were precious, importance was also given to scent bottles. Scent bottles were also manufactured like works of art. Precious scents were displayed in precious bottles.

So, what do you want to achieve with the scent bottles you collect?

Although there are museums in thousands of places in Turkey that are unthinkable, unfortunately there is no scent museum. I have always been confused about this. That is why I have a dream of establishing a scent museum. I would like to establish such a museum in Istanbul.

WE ARE AWARE OF OTTOMAN SCENT CULTURE

Now you are moving your collection to the exhibition called “Gılaf-ı Reyya”. I think this is the first step of the museum you want to establish…

Yes. The name of the exhibition means beautiful scent containers in Ottoman. Today, interest in scent has increased, young people love scent design. However, information about our scent history is not readily available. Therefore, we are unaware of the Ottoman scent culture. In this sense, we want to show our history with scent antiques. Because there is a great culture and finesse in scent containers. Here, in addition to various scent bottles used in the Ottoman Empire, we offer visitors the chance to experience those scents. In other words, we also make them smell our history.

THE MOST LOVED MUSK AND AMBER IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE

You have been chasing old scents with historical bottles for years. Was it as easy to produce scents as it is today?

It used to be more difficult to produce scents. Because in the days when there were no synthetic substances, it was not easy to obtain the raw materials for scents. The most valuable substances came from the Far East. Evliya Çelebi says that there were nearly 500 scent shops in Istanbul at one time. In other words, these raw materials were being snapped up.

So, which scents were most preferred in the Ottoman Empire, where beautiful bottles stood out?

In the Ottoman Empire, mostly scents centered on musk, ambergris and oud were manufactured. The musk that comes out of the pouch in the belly of the gazelle is a blessing from God. The scent of rose was also preferred because it reminded us of the Prophet.