Fragonard museum: emblematic of the French art de vivre

07/06/2018

In the midst of a hectic Paris there lies a place filled with tranquility and calmness; the Square Louis Jouvet. In the middle of the grand Haussmann buildings there stands a statue of a poet riding a Pegasus. Nothing is more inspiring than that!

It is on this small street where we can find the Fragonard museum. This world-renowned perfumery house opens their doors to us and invites us to discover the magical art of perfumes. As soon as we enter the museum we are immediately met  with exhalations of various scents, inviting us to an unforgettable journey.

ArtLuxury Experience has visited this magical world of French perfume, and we invite you to be transported to a memorable olfactory experience, so get ready to discover all the secrets of this famous perfumery.

Created by the great grandson of the founder of Fragonard, Jean-François Costa, the museum houses numerous perfumery objects in their collection. Due to his passion of perfume he decided to collect rare pieces, mostly perfume bottles coming from all historical periods: from ancient Egypt to present day. Perfume bottles have evolved tremendously over time; from simple containers in ancient  Greece they have today become the center of modern marketing strategies.

We are told, during our visit, various anecdotes concerning the use of perfume by our ancestors. We learned in the Middle Age people who used perfume thought it would protect them from catching the plague. During the time of King Louis XIV, courtiers over used this precious liquid: instead of washing themselves with soap and water, they cleaned their skin with their eau de toilette!

The visit continues and we are transported into the universe of perfume creation. It is in Grasse, the world capital city of perfume, where the Fragonard perfumery was born. It was just before the beginning of World War One that Eugène Fuchs decided to start his own perfume company. Creative and ambitious, he came up with a new concept; directly selling his perfume products to clients and visitors. In tribute to the famous painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard (17-1806), a Grasse native, the founder of the perfumery decided to call the company Fragonard. The choice of the name expressed his desire to run his business in accordance with French traditions.

Then, we are taught the different techniques used to extract flower essence. After the extraction, they are mixed with other various essences resulting in an exceptional aromatic bouquet. Numbers are gigantic: to produce one liter of rose essence, at least three tones of flowers are needed. Later, we are given a small lesson on the structure of perfume. A perfume is divided into three classes according to the scents that can be sensed in different periods of time after the application. We first have the “top note”, the scent which can be sensed immediately after the perfume is applied. Then, there is the “middle note”, the one which appears as soon as the “top note” disappears. It characterizes the perfume. Finally, we have the “base note”, it dissipates gradually and fixes the perfume to make it last in time. Perfume is therefore not an immovable entity, it adapts and evolves depending on its surroundings.

After going around a room exposing a large number of perfume flasks labels, we are being led to a counter on which displays the most famous perfumes of the house. We got the opportunity to smell but also to guess the different essences used for its creation. To the most common smells like rose or lavender to more unusual ones like black pepper or marshmallow. After this blind test, we had the chance to attend a short perfume application lesson. We are told not to rub our skin with perfume since it breaks the molecules of the scent. Two “pschitt” on your wrist are enough, you then delicately need to apply the rest of the perfume on your neck and behind your ears. Perfume has no secret for us now!

To conclude with this visit, we were free to wander around the boutique where we could smell all of Fragonard’s famous perfumes. Visiting this place was unforgettable, everything is beautiful, for the nose as well as for the eyes: a real sensory delight!

It is undeniable, Fragonard Perfumery embodies perfectly the French art de vivre.

ArtLuxury Experience would be delighted to offer this unique experience: starting with a visit of this museum you will be then invited to a workshop in which you will have the opportunity to become a nose the time of a perfume composition. Guided by a professor, create by yourself your eau de toilette. Mix different essences depending on your taste in order to create a unique scent: your own.

Interested? To take part in this unforgettable experience click here.