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23
Flora Danica
Perhaps this comment is unnecessary - after all, my three knowledgeable predecessors have already said much of what there is to say about Guerlain's splendid porcelain autumn flowers in beautiful and wise words. And yet, I found that Fall Flowers certainly deserves a fourth comment - not only, but certainly also because of its exceptionally beautiful bottle. Because of its history. And in general.
'Den kongelige Porcelænsfabrik' - better known by its international name 'Royal Copenhagen' - created a very special service at the end of the 18th century - one that was intended for Catherine the Great and dedicated to the Danish flora, and therefore called 'Flora Danica'. Each piece is lovingly hand-painted with a plant native to Denmark. Flora Danica is still the most expensive (at least known to me) service that one can buy 'normally' in stores - well, in not really many. You can choose from around nine hundred floral motifs for each piece, and most service items are hand-painted in Denmark only upon order. To this day, Flora Danica remains unmatched in terms of its exclusivity. And indescribably beautiful.
In terms of exclusivity, not quite unmatched - but only barely - and often also indescribably beautiful, although compared to the Danish flora on white porcelain, quite affordable - are the 'Pièces d'Exception' and other limited special editions, which Guerlain still holds onto in 2017: wonderful handcrafted pieces that celebrate beauty and do not aim for the mass market in terms of price or appeal. And they give artists - bottle designers as well as perfumers - the freedom to create something truly special - that does not need to fit into synchronized production processes or supply chains.
Not only their exclusivity and their unadulterated and unpretentious focus on beauty lead me to find parallels between French perfume and Danish porcelain. Their essence - the creation of great magnificence and an almost indescribable radiance - they have in common. The Danish flora is down-to-earth and seems familiar, and yet it unfolds beauty and elegance painted on gold-edged, snow-white porcelain shards that are unparalleled. And the flowers in Guerlain's Fall Flowers draw their opulence and abundance not from exotic accords, but simply from the mastery of themselves, the resulting arrangement, and their occasionally almost restrained orchestration. Despite the red flowers on its bottle, olfactorily green and white notes prevail, but 'white' does not mean 'white flowers' (although some are included), and 'green' means less 'fresh', but rather subtly almost a quote of a chypre. Fall Flowers is a perfume like a cornucopia, from which the native (well, Denmark is next door) flora bursts forth, as if someone had 'pumped the last sweetness into it', to borrow Rilke's words - without it being a sweet scent, let alone a gourmand. And wonderfully, nothing about it is dramatic or capricious, but on the contrary, just as down-to-earth as the flowers and branches on Royal Copenhagen's fine service. But indeed down-to-earth-fabulous. And compared to Danish porcelain, a bargain.
Conclusion: as long as there are fragrances like Fall Flowers, I know - Guerlain is still Guerlain. And that is wonderful.
'Den kongelige Porcelænsfabrik' - better known by its international name 'Royal Copenhagen' - created a very special service at the end of the 18th century - one that was intended for Catherine the Great and dedicated to the Danish flora, and therefore called 'Flora Danica'. Each piece is lovingly hand-painted with a plant native to Denmark. Flora Danica is still the most expensive (at least known to me) service that one can buy 'normally' in stores - well, in not really many. You can choose from around nine hundred floral motifs for each piece, and most service items are hand-painted in Denmark only upon order. To this day, Flora Danica remains unmatched in terms of its exclusivity. And indescribably beautiful.
In terms of exclusivity, not quite unmatched - but only barely - and often also indescribably beautiful, although compared to the Danish flora on white porcelain, quite affordable - are the 'Pièces d'Exception' and other limited special editions, which Guerlain still holds onto in 2017: wonderful handcrafted pieces that celebrate beauty and do not aim for the mass market in terms of price or appeal. And they give artists - bottle designers as well as perfumers - the freedom to create something truly special - that does not need to fit into synchronized production processes or supply chains.
Not only their exclusivity and their unadulterated and unpretentious focus on beauty lead me to find parallels between French perfume and Danish porcelain. Their essence - the creation of great magnificence and an almost indescribable radiance - they have in common. The Danish flora is down-to-earth and seems familiar, and yet it unfolds beauty and elegance painted on gold-edged, snow-white porcelain shards that are unparalleled. And the flowers in Guerlain's Fall Flowers draw their opulence and abundance not from exotic accords, but simply from the mastery of themselves, the resulting arrangement, and their occasionally almost restrained orchestration. Despite the red flowers on its bottle, olfactorily green and white notes prevail, but 'white' does not mean 'white flowers' (although some are included), and 'green' means less 'fresh', but rather subtly almost a quote of a chypre. Fall Flowers is a perfume like a cornucopia, from which the native (well, Denmark is next door) flora bursts forth, as if someone had 'pumped the last sweetness into it', to borrow Rilke's words - without it being a sweet scent, let alone a gourmand. And wonderfully, nothing about it is dramatic or capricious, but on the contrary, just as down-to-earth as the flowers and branches on Royal Copenhagen's fine service. But indeed down-to-earth-fabulous. And compared to Danish porcelain, a bargain.
Conclusion: as long as there are fragrances like Fall Flowers, I know - Guerlain is still Guerlain. And that is wonderful.
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