Mona Lisa's smile is captured on the perfume's box, just her smile and the reminiscences of Histoire des Parfums. So beautifully done. When you open the box and spray "7753" on your skin for the first time, you see this smile before you:
She smiles. She has put on one of her noble, dark velvet dresses. A saffron-colored silk slip clings closely to her body, while the golden brocade borders from Persia, recently acquired from that cutthroat dealer in Siena, finish the dark green velvet dress at her upper arm. She loves the fine pleating at the décolletage, and she loves her veil, her delicate, transparent lace that reveals more of her shiny, carefully styled hair than it conceals. As a married woman, she must wear this veil, of course. But she knows how to use it in such a way that she adheres to the rules while still being herself. Because that is what she wants: to be herself.
She hurries to this painter, who is a bit suspicious to her because he so easily resists her charm, who only focuses on portraying her in her best light. She likes him, this strange, spiritual oddball who is so indifferent to the female sex. They are both cut from the same cloth: uninterested in the norms that govern everyday life, always ready to break free, to realize themselves. He examines corpses, they say. At night, he conducts anatomical studies on the dead, secretly, so as not to fall into the hands of the inquisitors. He does not let himself be slowed down. War machines and flying objects he has developed, it is said. She understands nothing of that - as a woman. She does not mind. She knows what abilities she has. She is the beauty, with the seductive, mysterious smile that she uses whenever she deems it necessary. What does her husband know about how often she has used this smile to get everything she wanted from him? The finest silks that he, as a silk merchant, brings home time and again are just a small part of it. He is grateful to her because she maintains the appearance, just like her veil, and plays the perfect wife. What really happens in her life, she reveals to no one... just like the painter... That is why she smiles. She does not know this Leonardo very well, but they are both accomplices in this world of strict rules. They both live the life they want to live... Before she went to him to be painted for Francesco del Giocondo, her husband, she applied her perfume, and that is also why she smiles.
This fragrance is intoxicatingly beautiful. Incredibly zesty and fresh, bergamot, mandarin, and pepper, along with green ivy, form the opening that works like a wake-up call for minutes, invigorating and deliciously fresh and just slightly juicy-sweet. Then the heart note breaks through, slowly and one by one, individual flowers come to the forefront: a very moderate, delicate tuberose, a bit of heliotrope, without strong sweetness, only with minimal splashes of fresh fruits, blackcurrants that give the fragrance a bit of depth, and orange blossom. At this point, much of the opening is still felt, the transition is completely fluid, nothing surprises, nothing overwhelms, a perfect harmony of the individual notes, the melody just becomes fuller, more instruments join in, yet the theme remains unchanged. Slowly, after several hours, a slightly rougher, green base reveals itself, which holds the delicate fragrance fabric together: unmistakable sandalwood and a minimal pinch of patchouli dance alongside oak moss and vetiver.
"7753" is a beautiful, delicate, zesty, fresh, floral spring fragrance that I did not imagine to be half as beautiful due to the green notes. The bottle, just part of the whole, is surprisingly made - anyone who has ever held a 60-ml bottle knows what I mean: It appears to be cut in half, with a straight cut surface on the right side, so that the labeling is only partially visible - it is not completely halved, that would not have worked with the cap, and thus you get 60 instead of 50 ml. I like this even better than the large bottle.
The name of the perfume is, of course, as always with Histoire des Parfums, programmatic: "7753" are the dimensions of the painting by Leonardo, 77 by 53 centimeters, large enough to become the probably most famous and most viewed painting in the world, yet also small enough to be easily hidden under a coat and stolen from the Louvre, which indeed happened in August 1911, when the simple worker Vincenzo Peruggia had the clever idea to lock himself in a cupboard in the Louvre, so that the next day he could calmly walk out of the museum with the Mona Lisa under his arm. He kept it hidden for more than two years in a ridiculous distance from the Louvre in his apartment before offering it for sale to an art dealer, who took the necessary steps to ultimately return the Mona Lisa to her home. She was on the move for much longer when the German Wehrmacht confiscated her in 1940 along with other paintings and initially deposited her at Chambord, later at other locations in France. It was not until 1944 that she was returned, and not until 1947 did she return to the Louvre after another little journey.
There, in the Louvre, the big Leonardo exhibition is taking place this year. I already mentioned in my comment on Oud Satin Mood that the tickets are really expensive. Anyone who does not travel to Paris this year to admire the Mona Lisa once again in the original should perhaps consider acquiring "7753." The fragrance is not only cheaper than the museum ticket - you also get to enjoy it longer. You can let it accompany you through spring and look at some beautiful art books while sniffing at your arm. That is quite a lot of Mona Lisa, I think.
Updated on 02/28/2020
Top Notes 
Ivy
Galbanum
Indian prickly ash
Italian bergamot
Voltresnip
Heart Notes 
Tuberose
Heliotrope
Prickly pear
Base Notes 
Sandalwood
Oakmoss
Vetiver
Averylww
R3mt9
Ergoproxy
Yatagan
Flakon11e
Melisande
Rieke2021
Mourant
Gold
Stanze
