Fragonard Perfumery: Where Flowers Dream
France is known for its fragrances, so I visited Fragonard Perfumery, a museum where flowers dream, to get a better sense of the country’s culture. You can take a free guided tour of this perfumery to learn about the trade secrets of French scents as well as the history of the perfume-making process. Fragonard has factories and museums in Eze, Grasse, and Paris, so you may choose which one to visit based on your plan. Visit the Fragonard Perfumery (Musée Jean-Honoré Fragonard) in Grasse, which houses the works of three well-known artists and is also one of the finest Provence museums for jewellery and costumes.
Carolyn Quartermaine took the world on a journey through illusionary fantasy’s spectroscope. She introduced floral-realm scents into Venetian palaces while evoking the freshness of an English garden. Fragonard Perfumery and museums are an explication of Quartermaine’s passion for fashion, flowers, jewellery and perfumes. All her favourite things, including costumes, flowers, jewellery, and scents, may be found in the Fragonard Perfumery and Museums. In her words, “Roses tumble over a high grey stone wall which hides the secret garden beyond but they tantalise and seduce and become the thing that the eye is always searching for.”
Where Flowers Dream affirms a flash of deep rhyme, and this 19th-century perfumery revolutionises the perfume producing industry with this rhyme. During the bourgeois era, civilisation began to gravitate toward refined and delicate scents. Aromatic bath salts, linen sachets, and incense lozenges became popular ways to enjoy perfumes. The aromas started to highlight the wearer’s attractiveness. Ernest Beaux designed Chanel N°5 in 1925. Dior, Ricci, Rochas, Lanvin, and other fashion heavyweights soon followed suit.
By the twentieth century, perfume had evolved into a high-end item closely associated with artistic endeavours. During this time, the most well-known crystal-makers, such as Baccarat and Lalique, used their expertise to design and market exquisite perfume bottles. In this way, a visit to Grasse’s oldest perfume factory (the oldest in the city) was like a journey back in time.
Built-in 1782, the original Fragonard Perfume Factory on this site was renamed in 1926 in honour of the famed painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard. In the heart of the ancient town, this factory has been making several scented items since then. It’s a place where several talented artisan perfume-makers work together to create authentic, high-quality scents.
I was fortunate enough to get access to the production facilities, where only the finest raw materials are used to create each product. Buying the things at the factory price is the nicest part of this tour. Fragonard Perfumery is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day of the week, excluding holidays. Between Monday and Friday, call +33(0)493364466 or email tourisme@fragonard.com to arrange a reservation.
