| Le Parfumeur Rebellee |
© Copyright 2006 - 2009 ~ Le Parfumeur Rebelle All Rights Reserved
| Sorcery of Scent |
| Dimitrios Dimitriadis |
I'm a shameless collector of many things and my assortments are
varied. Ask me anything you like about the works of Swedish
etcher/engraver Axel Herman Haig, or icons from the Cuzco school
of painting. I also manage to stockpile select vinyl records and
antique Victorian jewellery boxes. But then, of course, there is
perfume. When the collector bug bites, it bites hard... and I find it
increasingly difficult to keep a tight hold on the purse strings. With
almost 700 commercial perfume miniatures stowed away in my
collection, I have only recently decided to shift my focus and
assemble a variety of charming vintage flacons by US perfume
company Prince Matchabelli.
I don't recall exactly when it was that I first saw a depiction of
someone's phenomenal Matchabelli collection in a book I borrowed
from the state library in Perth, but I can clearly remember being
wowed. The aesthetic value of these charming little crowns ignited
a pang of envy in me, and that feeling stayed with me for a long,
long time.
Only recently, some 7 or 8 years later, I stumbled upon a
Matchabelli miniature suspended on a neckchain - boxed, cheap,
and in mint condition - and I knew then and there that I had to
own this rare little gem. But that was only the tip of the iceberg. I
went on to spend a good week trawling the internet and ebay
(admittedly whilst I was supposed to be working, and indeed whilst
my wife slept beside me in the wee hours of the morning) hunting
down a bargain. I had the bug!
What I hadn't quite anticipated though, was the cost. Only recently,
a miniature Matchabelli flacon for Infantia - a scent created in
1937, and one barely larger in size that a €1 coin - sold on ebay for
$350 US. A current listing of a black glass Ave Maria (1929) empty
crown bottle is this minute fetching $190 US, with 4 days and 2
hours remaining in the auction. And an optimistic seller in
Germany is presently attempting to hock off (using the 'Buy it Now'
feature, no less) a selection of 10 empty Matchabelli bottles for a
very tidy €7,777. Waaaay out of my league, I'm afraid.
The thing that perhaps strikes me the most, is the present demand
for these bottles more than 80 years after the Matchabelli Perfume
Company opened its doors in 1926. But the history of the company
is every bit as enchanting as the flacons are captivating. The
establishment began after the Georgian Prince and ambassador to
Italy, Georges Matchabelli and his wife Princess Norina Matchabelli
immigrated to the USA as penniless refugees after the Bolshevik
Revolution forced the Russian nobility to flee for their lives. Georges
was an amateur chemist that enjoyed creating perfumes for his
friends and family, and thus he and his wife strived to accumulate
the very modest capital required to set up their company. A
magazine interview led to increased exposure of the brand, and
suddenly Matchabelli became famous for their blends that were
presented in colour-coded crown-shaped bottles that had been
designed to replicate the (lost) crown found on the Matchabelli coat
of arms. Many successes followed, and despite the dissolution of
their marriage in 1933, and Georges death two years later in 1935,
the Matchabelli brand went on to endure the decades. More than 50
perfumes are associated with the name, and today the brand
belongs to Parfums de Coeur Ltd. Sadly, the modern-day packaging
and design aesthetic doesn't even come close to that seen in its
heyday. From this perspective alone, I understand why these royal
treasures are sought out and coveted by collectors. It is a blessing
that the history forged by the Matchabelli's is being recognised and
preserved; yet a curse for me - the collector with a 'less-than-
sufficient' expendable income.
(Article used with permission from Sorcery of Scent blog).
varied. Ask me anything you like about the works of Swedish
etcher/engraver Axel Herman Haig, or icons from the Cuzco school
of painting. I also manage to stockpile select vinyl records and
antique Victorian jewellery boxes. But then, of course, there is
perfume. When the collector bug bites, it bites hard... and I find it
increasingly difficult to keep a tight hold on the purse strings. With
almost 700 commercial perfume miniatures stowed away in my
collection, I have only recently decided to shift my focus and
assemble a variety of charming vintage flacons by US perfume
company Prince Matchabelli.
I don't recall exactly when it was that I first saw a depiction of
someone's phenomenal Matchabelli collection in a book I borrowed
from the state library in Perth, but I can clearly remember being
wowed. The aesthetic value of these charming little crowns ignited
a pang of envy in me, and that feeling stayed with me for a long,
long time.
Only recently, some 7 or 8 years later, I stumbled upon a
Matchabelli miniature suspended on a neckchain - boxed, cheap,
and in mint condition - and I knew then and there that I had to
own this rare little gem. But that was only the tip of the iceberg. I
went on to spend a good week trawling the internet and ebay
(admittedly whilst I was supposed to be working, and indeed whilst
my wife slept beside me in the wee hours of the morning) hunting
down a bargain. I had the bug!
What I hadn't quite anticipated though, was the cost. Only recently,
a miniature Matchabelli flacon for Infantia - a scent created in
1937, and one barely larger in size that a €1 coin - sold on ebay for
$350 US. A current listing of a black glass Ave Maria (1929) empty
crown bottle is this minute fetching $190 US, with 4 days and 2
hours remaining in the auction. And an optimistic seller in
Germany is presently attempting to hock off (using the 'Buy it Now'
feature, no less) a selection of 10 empty Matchabelli bottles for a
very tidy €7,777. Waaaay out of my league, I'm afraid.
The thing that perhaps strikes me the most, is the present demand
for these bottles more than 80 years after the Matchabelli Perfume
Company opened its doors in 1926. But the history of the company
is every bit as enchanting as the flacons are captivating. The
establishment began after the Georgian Prince and ambassador to
Italy, Georges Matchabelli and his wife Princess Norina Matchabelli
immigrated to the USA as penniless refugees after the Bolshevik
Revolution forced the Russian nobility to flee for their lives. Georges
was an amateur chemist that enjoyed creating perfumes for his
friends and family, and thus he and his wife strived to accumulate
the very modest capital required to set up their company. A
magazine interview led to increased exposure of the brand, and
suddenly Matchabelli became famous for their blends that were
presented in colour-coded crown-shaped bottles that had been
designed to replicate the (lost) crown found on the Matchabelli coat
of arms. Many successes followed, and despite the dissolution of
their marriage in 1933, and Georges death two years later in 1935,
the Matchabelli brand went on to endure the decades. More than 50
perfumes are associated with the name, and today the brand
belongs to Parfums de Coeur Ltd. Sadly, the modern-day packaging
and design aesthetic doesn't even come close to that seen in its
heyday. From this perspective alone, I understand why these royal
treasures are sought out and coveted by collectors. It is a blessing
that the history forged by the Matchabelli's is being recognised and
preserved; yet a curse for me - the collector with a 'less-than-
sufficient' expendable income.
(Article used with permission from Sorcery of Scent blog).