When counting the story of perfume, we can start with the Egyptians. They are the first perfumers and not only did they wear makeup, but perfume was also part of their daily lives.

They wore it in the shape of a little cone of perfumed fat or wax that they put on their heads and that would slowly melt in the sun and perfume their hair or wig.

Perfume was also used for religious purposes. The three ointment flasks that you can see at numbers 3, 4 and 5 contained balms and unguents used for mummification. All three needed to be used together else the person being embalmed couldn’t pass on to the spirit realm.

Through the Mediterranean Sea, the Greek discovered perfume in Egypt. As great tradesmen, they brought it back home and their love for beautiful and well groomed bodies made perfume very popular in their culture. They used a different fragrance for each part of the body and slathered themselves in perfumed oil after bathing or for special events, like the romans after them. The Greeks used to keep their perfume in terracotta containers like the aryballoi at n°8 and the alabaster at n°6.Terracota being porous, it absorbs the liquid and the scent, so when the Romans finally mastered glass-blowing, they started to store their perfumed oils in glass bottles immediatly. You can admire some to the right of the showcase, and you can take time to look at n°12 that is adorned with a depiction of Janus, the Two-faced god.

We are now ready to move to the next showcase on the right.

In the Middle Ages, people started to use perfume to protect themselves from diseases as they think plagues can be transmitted through bad smells. The nobility        carries pomanders, also called apple of amber, like objects number 8 and 9 for example, filled with solid essences. This is not just a way to repel diseases but also to express one’s wealth, as most pomanders are made of precious materials such as silver, or gold.

By the Renaissance, though, people in Europe have stopped using water in their hygiene routines. First because the church discourages going to public baths, that were deemed indecent. Second because doctors thought water transmitted diseases through pores. Therefore, people started to use perfume or alcohol on a piece of fabric and rubbed it on their skin to clean themselves. Alcohol-based perfume was born. The first one was created in 1370 for the Queen of Hungary: according to the legend, it was gifted to her at the age of 72. After using it thoroughly, she regained the health, fitness and beauty from her twenties.

You can now move to your right to the next showcase.

In the 18th century, liquid perfume triumphs, and it is carried everywhere by the nobles and bourgeois. The bottles exhibited in this showcase reflect the fashion for perfume bottles during that period. These bottles are real jewels, as refinement was brought to its height: they are treasures of crystal, porcelain and gold. Some of them even carry secret messages, will you be able to see them?

You can discover one on object n°9 : this bottle made in England of crystal, gold and stones has the following inscriptions: “A vous seule” around its base, or “Yours alone”.

It should also be mentioned that at this time, hygiene remained minimal. For the record, at the court of Louis XIV, we only washed a few times a month or a year, for fear of disease. Indeed, the story says that the Roi Soleil or Sun King would have washed only 5 times in 71 years of life!

Continuing to your right, you will be able to admire the toiletries and virtue objects in the next window.

These small luxurious boxes, made from precious materials, contained all sorts of small beauty-related objects. Fragonard offers you discover the very secret interior of these boxes: look at object n°2, it is a pocket necessaire made in galuchat, cut crystal and gold. It holds two crystal bottles, an ivory tablet, a boîte à mouche, a pencil, ear curette, tongue cleaner and a folding golden pocket knife. In this showcase, you will find other beauty objects such as perfume boxes, make-up and lipstick boxes, fly boxes, make-up mortars, ointment pots, etc.

Let’s dwell for a moment on the mouches, also called flies. Perhaps you have already heard of them? The object presented here in n°6 is a boite à mouches or fly box which contains small pieces of taffeta or black velvet soaked in perfume. They were placed on the face to highlight the whiteness of the complexion and camouflage imperfections due, for example, to smallpox. Subsequently, they would be used to give indications on the mood of their wearers. Thus, a fly at the corner of the eye indicates a “passionate” personality, above the lips “coquette”, on the chin “discreet” and on the chest a “generous” one.

Now come closer to the potpourri display case.

It was in the 18th century that this refined object was found in homes. Very fashionable at the time, any distinguished person had to have it to perfume their interior. Potpourri, or rotten pot, is a mixture of dried plants and flowers chosen for their scents and aromas. This mixture is placed in the pot you can see here. Small openings are present on the lid or in the neck and allow smells to escape. Here, our pot is made of porcelain, but it could be made from different materials.

In the 19th century, with the rise of the bourgeois class, perfume becomes widely used. The upper class attended balls, receptions, theaters, operas and wore refined fragrances expressing their wealth. Even the emperor had perfumes composed for his mistresses by the greatest perfumers. People wore perfume like a jewel, the bottle acting as a showcase.

Note the refinement and originality of bottle n°9 in the shape of a swan’s head, bottle n°11 in the shape of a ring. At n°8, another noteworthy bottle, it was made for the Atelier Fabergé, usually known for its eggs. It is a delicate works of two tones of gold, white enamel and rose quarts. Look how beautiful it is !

Further to your right, we will discover the bottles from the 20th century.

At the beginning of the 20th century, thanks to the industrial revolution and the invention of synthetic notes, perfume becomes a common good and therefore becomes an everyday ritual. To seduce their new customers, perfumers called on the know-how of master crystal makers. As you can see many of the bottles displayed here were made by René Lalique, one of the greatest master glassmakers of his time. This is also the time when designers start to get in the game, like Dior, with Diorling at n°16, or Elsa Schiaparelli, with the perfumes Sleeping and Shocking at the n°17 and 18.

Finally, let’s end our journey through time and the history of perfume looking at the second to last showcase to your left. It contains a bottle of Belle de Nuit at number 19, Fragonard’s emblematic fragrance. Created in 1946 and still one of our bestsellers to this day.

We will be happy to help you smell it at the end of the visit and you can judge its incredible timelessness.

We will now go to the next room. Do not forget to scan the QR code to discover the manufacturing secrets.