Origin
Originally made from camel skin and later goat skin, these flask-like bottles are called Kuppis. Their texture is simultaneously leathery and brittle, and once devoid of liquid, they look almost translucent under the light. Their outer surface is a web of faint and dark veins, which intersect across the molded leather.
Kuppis were used by attar-makers and preferred due to their permeability towards water. After the attar was ready, it was poured into these bottles – usually very large in size, able to hold volumes of liquid- and left to macerate. The leather would absorb any extra moisture, allowing water to evaporate and only attar in its truest scent, to remain.
Kuppi were used by perfumes and preferred due to their permeability towards water. After the attar was ready, it was poured into these bottles – usually very large in size, able to hold volumes of liquid- and left to thicken. The leather would absorb any extra moisture, allowing water to evaporate and only attar in its truest scent, to remain.
Shapes
The shape of every Kuppi varies- no two are the same- revealing beautiful evidences of the handmade. Someone has lovingly shaped each vessel with their fingers, skillfully folding and sealing layer upon layer to create its elegant shape. For the most part, each Kuppi has a long neck and a very round body. Their texture is simultaneously leathery and brittle, and once devoid of liquid, they look almost translucent under the light. Their outer surface is a web of faint and dark veins, which intersect across the moulded leather.
Relevance
In todays times, the attars are mostly stored in aluminium containers to maintain the quality and composition of the same as these aluminium containers are easily available accross all countries.
Traditional perfumers believe that an attar NOT stored in the kuppi was ‘essentially ruined’.
Today, this technique are mostly used in natural attars (you may CLICK BELOW on each item for more details):
