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Stradivari 1948 Cologne Parfumée

8.7 / 10 8 Ratings
A perfume by Prince Matchabelli for women, released in 1948. The scent is floral-woody. The longevity is above-average. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Floral
Woody
Spicy
Smoky
Chypre
Ratings
Scent
8.78 Ratings
Longevity
8.97 Ratings
Sillage
7.47 Ratings
Bottle
7.911 Ratings
Submitted by DonVanVliet · last update on 04/17/2025.
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Reviews

4 in-depth fragrance descriptions
Oriane

141 Reviews
Oriane
Oriane
Very helpful Review 2  
Forgotten Beauty From the House of Matchabelli
Top notes: Aldehydes, Calabrian Bergamot, Cloves, Coriander, Cinnamon, Allspice, Bay, Marjoram

Middle notes: Lavender, Basil, Thyme, Frankincense, Carnation, Rose, Myrrh, Jasmine, Orris

Base notes: Oakmoss, Benzoin, East Indian Vetiver, Patchouli, Mysore Sandalwood, Abyssinian Ambergris, Cedar, Tibetan Musk

Released in 1942, Stradivari is one of the forgotten beauties from the House of Matchbelli. It is classified as a spicy Oriental. According to Perfume Fetish's blogspot, the perfume was the first the house released after WWII began, and it was named for the Prince Matchabelli orchestra which was formed that same year. The fragrance was apparently discontinued in 1967.

I own both the cologne parfumee formulation and the extrait. Stradivari could have been one of the precursors to YSL's Opium which was launched in the 1970s. I find it also has deep similarities with Lutens's Amber Sultan from 1993. It is spicy, warm, and animalic. The dry down boasts real oakmoss, sandalwood, ambergris, and musk. It is a beautiful, complex fragrance that was perhaps a little ahead of its time. If you love spices, incense, dark patchouli, sandalwood, and animalic notes, then I can recommend this fragrance most highly.

Stradivari is unisex in my opinion and best worn in the evening and during the cooler months. My numerical ratings are based on my vintage bottles which of course have suffered over the years, but it is clear that the fragrance was lovely. Even my old bottles still smell quite nice. Of the few fragrances I have tried from this house, Stradivari is one of my favourites. It is such a shame it was discontinued. It could hold its own against many niche fragrances of today.

Fragrance: 7.5/10
Projection: 4/10
Sillage: 4/10
Longevity: 5/10
Updated on 10/26/2019
0 Comments
Avoirdupois

79 Reviews
Avoirdupois
Avoirdupois
Helpful Review 2  
A perfume which deserves the title "UNIQUE" (meaning only-one-of-its-kind)!
Indeed, Stradivari by the House of Matchabelli is a timeless classic in perfumery.

It's impossible realistically to compare it with any other fragrance, for it has such distinction, with powerful and subtle aromas in a masterful recipe. It has a wide floral opening with subtle citrus support which soon allows the woody aspects to flow through, creating a heady, ethereal mix to enchant and captivate. The drydown is spicy, powdery, smoky and memorable. Longevity and sillage are remarkable. Nothing else is quite like it. Stradivari is a dream come true.

I first encountered this perfume some years back when a friend, the late Prince Hassan Durrani of Afghanistan, was a roving ambassador for the House of Matchabelli. They have many other fine fragrances, but nothing compares with Stradivari, the eternal and shining wonder.
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8Scent
Scheeheratze

73 Reviews
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Scheeheratze
Scheeheratze
Top Review 13  
Hooray Hooray the Violin is Burning!...
... and just as it befits such a luxurious creature, on a pyre, topped with:
Bergamot, aldehydes, clove, coriander, cinnamon, bay, marjoram;
in the middle you find: lavender, basil, thyme, frankincense and myrrh, garden clove, roses, jasmine and orris, and at the very bottom are:
oak moss, benzoin, vetiver, patchouli, sandalwood, ambergris, cedar and nutmeg.

Michelangela has already written everything about Prince Matchabelli - thank you for this comment that piqued my curiosity about the royalty and sparked a worldwide hunt for the lavish bottles. Actually, the flacons represent crowns, but they somehow remind me of plump breasts.

It is still not 100% clear what wood the luxury fiddle was made from; it is rumored to be spruce struck on icy cold full moon nights. Be that as it may - the noble prince named this fragrance not just after the violin, but after his own orchestra!

The "New Yorker" wrote in 1954 about this scent: "An intense woody note with exotic undertones".
And "Life" stated in 1948: "Stradivari lays a love song in the hearts of women. Rich, long-lasting, created for women with deep emotion".

Ybabadabaduuuuu - that's how it is!

A warm, serious, smoky-woody floral scent of ancient lineage, created for the moment, in case Dave Garret stops by and plays something for you.
6 Comments
Michelangela

89 Reviews
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Michelangela
Michelangela
Helpful Review 14  
Of Violins, Princes, and Dark Nostalgia
The name Stradivari is likely known to everyone, less in connection with a fragrance than with the famous Italian violin maker (1648 - 1737), who created the highest quality and most resonant violins in the world. During his heyday, he crafted violins whose bodies are still unmatched today. The highest price ever achieved was for the "Lady Blunt," auctioned by Tarisio in London in June 2011: an unknown bidder paid a staggering £9.8 million (12.07 million euros)!
Owning a "Stradivari" is truly something special!

Now I sit here wearing a "Stradivari" on my arm. No, it is neither a violin, nor a cello, nor a viola that I am reporting on, but the passionate fragrance Prince Matchabelli from 1950.
This Georges V. Matchabelli was not only a displaced Georgian prince and ambassador in Italy, but also a hobby chemist who enjoyed creating fragrances for friends and family. He fled Russia during the Revolution and settled in the USA. There, he founded the Prince Matchabelli Perfume Company in 1924. The bottles of the perfumes were modeled after the prince's crown and quickly gained great popularity. His creations were designed specifically and personally for royal houses. He created fragrances for his wife Princess Norina, for the Queen of Georgia, whose daughters Princesses Marie and Nina, Prince George (and his wife) of Wales, Queen Marie of Romania, and a very personal perfume for Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, which was named "Inauguration." King Edward VIII also used fragrances from Matchabelli's men's line.
Of course, many more colognes followed for the bourgeois customers.
After Matchabelli's death (1935), the house was continued by Saul Ganz and sold to the Vicks Chemical Company in 1941. Ultimately, Parfums de Coeur Ltd took over the company in 1993. Some Matchabelli fragrances like "Wind Song" are still being marketed.
Stradivari was created in 1950 and thus no longer comes from the hand of the prince. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful and refined fragrance.
So let's return to my arm:
I applied a few drops of the Cologne Parfumée "Stradivari" and am greeted by an alcoholic and somewhat stale top note. Well, the age of the fragrance can be forgiven, as this is a rare vintage after all. Only a few minutes pass before I am welcomed by a deep, unsweetened floral note. A dry bouquet of lavender, dark roses, and sultry jasmine are nestled on soft oak moss, and there is another soothing flower that I cannot identify (I am not a perfumer) and patchouli as the perfect finishing touch.
This fragrance carries a certain melancholy within it, like the sound of the violin, deep, penetrating, and yet so wonderfully melodic. The base is divinely dark, slightly smoky, resinous, and smooth. A true delight for any vintage lover.

~
Conclusion:

Stradivari is not a modern fragrance, Stradivari is not a fragrance for young girls, Stradivari is also not an easy everyday scent!
Stradivari is pure nostalgia, a beloved melody from old days, a night-blooming rose .....
Stradivari is wonderfully old-fashioned and simply marvelous!
~
For once, I agree with the following side note from Parfumo:
Users who like Stradivari Cologne Parfumée often also enjoy:
Shocking, L'Heure Bleue, and Sortilège
~
Well, this could perhaps turn into love.....
6 Comments

Statements

3 short views on the fragrance
1 year ago
12
13
For literature lovers: The scent that Tom Ripley gave to Marge Sherwood.
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13 Comments
6
1
Chypre! And I usually don't like Chypre. But this one is so woody that you feel like you're sitting on an old wooden bench. OK!
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1 Comment
4
2
A fragrant tribute to a fiddle, in the form of a herbal-woody floral chypre with herbal undertones. Old-fashioned but still good.
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2 Comments

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