Prelude
The world has amusing coincidences in store for all of us: when I recently received a package from a dear Parfumo member (I don't know if the person wants to be named), there was a surprise inside that was not planned. The person accidentally included a sample in the envelope that was not supposed to be there. I hope they have perhaps replaced the loss with a larger bottle?
In any case, I (unbeknownst) became curious about the unknown newcomer, I researched - and experienced a surprise…
History lesson with Aunt Esclarmonde:
1. Grasse
We begin our story with a little boy named Pierre-Francois Lubin, who at the age of ten around 1784 took an apprenticeship at the renowned perfumer Tombarelli's house in Grasse. The Tombarelli family had maintained a pharmacy and perfumery in that world-famous place since 1580 and is considered a co-founder of the perfume industry there.
2. Paris
A few years later, around 1792, the ambitious young Lubin decided to go to Paris and dedicated himself to the pursuit of being accepted into the guild of perfumers. His new master was none other than the famous Tombarelli: it was Jean-Louis Fargeon, one of the royal family's personal perfumers. From then on, the young Lubin closely observed all the actions of his master. It was a happy time for his craft: since the Sun King Louis XIV, there had been an increasing fondness for all sorts of toilet waters, perfumes, and other beauty and care items at court. They had become an integral part of courtly gallantry. At court, Jean-Louis Fargeon competed with other renowned perfumers: among them was a young man named Jean-Francois Houbigant, who is still known to us today.
3. A secret garden
Queen Marie-Antoinette maintained a small château (the Grand Trianon) in the expansive park around Versailles, near which she had a small fictitious peasant village built. Some have said she was crazy for dreaming herself into a decadent pastoral idyll while her people were starving. However, it should be noted that the village was a facility where she wanted to find "back to nature" and to simple living, away from court etiquette, in the philosophical spirit of the time. Thus, decadence at least had a demanding foundation.
4. The queen's wish
For a long time, the French royal couple had remained childless, and in 1778 a daughter was born. When Queen Marie-Antoinette finally gave birth to a little heir in October 1781, the king showered her with gifts, including specially crafted perfume creations just for her.
Queen Marie-Antoinette appreciated the creations of Monsieur Fargeon, and one day in 1782, she summoned him to her enchanted little village in the park. He admired the fragrant blooming splendor that the queen maintained in her small realm. There, she expressed her wish to capture this enchanting, almost secret place of her happiness in a perfume. She named roses and violets as her favorite flowers to Fargeon. There was also an orangery nearby, so the scent of orange blossoms had to be included. Even today, embroideries and weaving patterns in the original fabrics and curtains and in the wall decor of the Grand Trianon testify to Marie-Antoinette's love for exclusive exotic fruits, spices, and woods, from which bergamot, galbanum, patchouli, cardamom, tonka bean, cinnamon, and frankincense as well as cedar oil and sandalwood found their way into the composition. Additionally, there were local lavender, iris, and the three whites of the night: jasmine, lily, and tuberose. Musk and amber should not be missing either. With this intimate commission, Fargeon set to work, always accompanied by the eager eyes of his apprentice Lubin. The result that Fargeon presented to Marie-Antoinette hit the mark: the "Parfum du Trianon" was born. From then on, until her last days in captivity, the queen always carried a small bottle made of black jade with her, which was meant to protect the precious contents from light.
5. Until the bitter end
What happened to the royal family just a few years later is well known. An anecdote tells that the queen was recognized by her perfume during the attempted escape from France in the summer of 1792… However, Jean-Louis Fargeon remained loyal to his queen until the end: even in captivity in the Conciergerie, he supplied her with toiletries - among which he repeatedly smuggled a bottle of Parfum du Trianon, allowing the queen to travel back to carefree, happy days of her life. Before her execution in October 1793, she entrusted the last bottle of her perfume to her close confidante, the Duchesse de Tourzel, and to this day it remains in the possession of the duchess's descendants.
After the queen's beheading, the loyal Jean-Louis Fargeon soon had to answer before the revolutionary tribunal. Fargeon never regained his former self. He died in 1806 in Paris.
6. The perfume lives on
However, we must not forget his attentive student: in 1798, Pierre-Francois Lubin opened his own shop in the Rue Sainte Anne in Paris. Among his artfully crafted products was a perfume he called "Jardin secret": it was the queen's perfume that he had once copied from his master's notes! The Lubin house sold this scent until the 1930s. Recently, Pierre-Francois' records were rediscovered, and the secret of the queen's garden was unveiled. Since summer 2011, it has been available again: the queen's perfume.
For those who are still interested in how I find Marie-Antoinette's scent: 90% and: Initially, I primarily perceive the orange blossom. Between rose and orange blossom, there is a good balance. After some time, I recognize a lot of patchouli, the spices, woods, and resins. These form a magnificently aromatic background in perfect balance. Jasmine and especially tuberose bring a certain heaviness. The scent radiates a great, warm, festive, and splendid aura. I have not been able to find the violet so far...
Perhaps Black Jade is not suitable for every day because it is truly opulent (but that is, of course, a matter of taste), in any case, this scent is truly something very special.
Have fun, dear ones - history rocks!
Top Notes 
Cardamom
Galbanum
Bergamot
Heart Notes 
Damask rose
Cinnamon
Frankincense
Jasmine
Base Notes 
Patchouli
Sandalwood
Tonka bean
Vanilla
BanaBanana
Evangeline
Licorice
Helena1411
Azura
Seejungfrau
ClarasTante
Heikeso
Cafeliberte
Parma
