The Perfumes of Marie Antoinette
The Scents and Fragrances of a Fashionable French Queen
Jan 28, 2009
Marie Antoinette of France (1755-1793) was a young queen who at first inspired France with her passion for fashion and was later vilified for her excessive spending on it. In addition to expensive clothes, Marie Antoinette had her own personal perfumer who created many perfumes and scents exclusively for the French queen.
Jean-Louis Fargeon, Marie Antoinette's Perfumer
Jean-Louis Fargeon (1748-1806) was a young Montpellier perfumer who arrived in Paris to learn more about the perfume trade and to become recognized in his profession; eventually he gained the attention of the young queen of France and was requested to make many scents, perfumes and beauty products for her. He became a close confidant of the French royal court.
Perfumed Gloves for Marie Antoinette
Although Marie Antoinette frequently changed her passions for various fashions she reputedly had a life long love of flowers; these included roses, violets, lilies and jonquils. In order to win the French queen's favor, Jean-Louis Fargeon decided to make Marie Antoinette customized gloves scented with a very personal fragrance; it was the fashion at this time for ladies to wear perfumed gloves but Jean-Louis Fargeon wanted to create a perfume like no other.
He combined the scents of blood-red carnations, hyacinths, violets and musk jonquils to create a natural fragrance for Marie Antoinette's gloves; the gloves were made from kidskin and were treated with a mix of sweet almond oil, white wax and eau de rose. The gloves were laid on fresh roses and accented with nutmeg, to ensure the gloves would protect Marie Antoinette's hands from her riding reins, in effect, a 'natural restorative beauty treatment'.
Perfumed Sachets for Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette was delighted with Jean-Louis Fargeon's creation and ordered many more gloves to add to her collections. She then requested a perfume to add to her bath; Jean-Louis Fargeon prepared perfumed sachets which included ingredients of sweet almonds, pine nuts, linseed, lily bulbs, marsh mallow root and other aromatic plants. The success of the perfumed sachets led to many more requests from Marie Antoinette.
Perfumes Created For Marie Antoinette
Jean-Louis Fargeon proceeded to create many perfumes for the French queen, including one known as the parfum de Trianon; various perfume ingredients included violet, rose, jonquil and tuberose mixed with amber, opopanax or musk. Despite her reputation for extravagance, Marie Antoinette also used some simple toilet waters such as eau de fleur d'oranger.
The French queen purified the air in the royal apartments with vinegars seasoned with lavender and orange blossom; she had essences of both lavender and lemon added to her baths. Marie Antoinette had pomanders made with the fragrances of rose, carnation, jasmine, vanilla, frangipane and tuberose; she had beauty powders and creams created specifically for her to purify and whiten her complexion.
Scents for Marie Antoinette's Pregnancies
During Marie Antoinette's pregnancies, Jean-Louis Fargeon constantly created perfumes of lemon, cinnamon, angelica, iris, rosewood, coriander and other aromatic plants to soothe and relax her; after the birth of her first child, Jean-Louis Fargeon was even requested to create a perfumed mix of oils to combat the queen's sudden loss of hair.
Marie Antoinette's Final Journey
Marie-Antoinette always took her favorite perfumes and perfumed sachets with her when she traveled; even when she was fleeing for her life, Marie Antoinette insisted on filling orders for perfume bottles, powder jars and unguents with her favorite perfumes for the journey; ultimately, the resulting delay of waiting for her favorite perfumes may have cost Marie Antoinette of France her life.
References:
- Feydeau, Elisabeth de, 2007 A Scented Palace: The Secret History of Marie Antoinette's Perfumer UK: I.B. Taurus & Co. Ltd
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