Vercingetorix surrendering to Caesar, 1892 by Henri-Paul Motte
This review is not to discuss the notes, but the olfactory narrative and emotion I envision it exudes
I’ve come back to completely rewrite my review. My original description was that I was stumped by this fragrance in what it smelled like and what its agenda was. Today, I was watching Invincible, an episode about Viltrum, when it hit me. This is what the fragrance is.
For the longest time, I was confused on how this is suppose to be related to Rome, its power and conquest. But then I realized that this is the smell of empire and imperialism.
It is not concerned with flattery or classical beauty. It is the smell of brutal indifference. It does not try to explicitly smell of power, but it’s the scent of a man who has already won and is on to the next conquest.
As a whole it’s not overly complex, nor is it a burst of floral, citrus, etc.
It’s smells simple because the power it embodies does not care for grandeur. It’s here to display how little it cares for your approval. Not because it smells bad, but because it and its wearer simplicity states it’s just above you.
The image I imagine from IB, is a towering marble obelisk, wrapped by greenery at its base. Like the Column of Hadrian, engraved with reliefs of his power and success
It’s not Julius Caesar, or Caracalla (as seen in the stopper), speaking to their senate- but of the attitude he had at the surrender of Vercingetorix. It’s not the smell of a sweaty and brutal soldier, but that of his general accepting submission of his enemy.
Observe the painting, Vercingetorix surrendering to Caesar, 1892 by Henri-Paul Motte. This fragrance embodies the attitude of Caesar depicted
It says, I care not for your flattery, but for your surrender. My scent is of the palace I reside in, where spoils I have taken sit placidly in a store room- I care little for them in favor of further conquest.
I have finally pinned down the olfactory narrative, at least to myself.
Therefore, I would imagine myself wearing this after politically and strategically outmaneuvering my enemy. Watching him fall and wither, but without enjoyment, simple indifference and maybe even some pity
This review is not about what the fragrance smells like, but about the emotion it gives me
