The incarnation of an exceptional destiny: The life of Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson retraced in perfumes

Co-founders and artistic directors of In Paris at Antoinette Poisson, Vincent Farelly and Jean-Baptiste Marin, trained at the National Heritage Institute and at the Sorbonne, are both heritage restorers specializing in graphic arts and wallpaper. It was in 2012 that they joined forces to revive the know-how of domino paper by creating In Paris at Antoinette Poisson. This name is a tribute to the Marquise de Pompadour who lived in the golden age of domino paper. It is in their workshop, located in a Parisian courtyard, that they create in accordance with the techniques of the Age of Enlightenment.

They bring back to life a know-how that has disappeared for more than two centuries: domino paper. The result of unique and traditional know-how, the domino is the forgotten ancestor of wallpaper. Historically, the domino sheet of paper was used for wall compositions, to cover books, dress boxes or cabinets. They are generally composed of floral or geometric patterns and are printed sheet by sheet by board, then colored with a stencil or by hand. This know-how was very successful in the XNUMXth century and disappeared in the following century, a victim of the invention of wallpaper rolls.

Antoinette Poisson

In Paris at Antoinette Poisson was inspired by the exceptional destiny of the Marquise de Pompadour, to create a first collection of perfumes composed of three fragrances: Joli Bois, Bien-Aimée and Tison. The Marquise de Pompadour was one of the most influential women of the XNUMXth century. She was a great patron of the arts. Three names, three fragrances for three periods, three ages in the life of Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson:

Pretty wood - His meeting with the King of France
Beloved - His rise to Versailles
Brand - The sweetness of life far from the frenzy of the court

This perfume collection was born from the meeting and union of two universes with common sensibilities between the founders of In Paris at Antoinette Poisson and Lyn Harris. Lyn Harris practices in London but she trained in perfumery in France, alongside Monique Schlienger before working with Robertet in Grasse. Her very first project saw the light of day in 2015, alongside her partner Christophe Michel, Perfumer H. Lyn Harris' uncompromising desire to bring natural products back to perfumery was the starting point of her olfactory journey. Today, the ease with which she uses these materials in her creations gives rise to olfactory landscapes that represent individuality and touch you from within. The Perfumer H brand is unconventional with a style, a vision, an olfactory dream. In 2017, she signed three eaux de parfum with Cire Trudon.

These three fragrances are therefore the collaboration between Lyn Harris and In Paris at Antoinette Poisson. The bottles have been designed as genuine XNUMXth century decorations. They called on the Waltersperger glass-crystal factory, a reference in the glassmaking tradition of the Bresle valley in northern France. This glassware embodies the know-how and the quality of French manufacturing. In Paris at Antoinette Poisson has selected a bottle from the archives of this house, the shape of which with bevelled edges recalls the creations of glass craftsmen of the century of Madame de Pompadour. The three perfumes are adorned with an arabesque engraving drawn by the creators still inspired by the XNUMXth century where it was customary to paint or engrave by hand on the bottles, small scenes of life or floral decorations.

Antoinette Poisson

Joli Bois: Youth
Summer 1743, King Louis XV let himself be charmed by the great beauty of the young woman of twenty-two years. This fragrance with vegetal notes, symbolizes the meeting between the young woman and the King of France. It evokes the lightness of youth, the freshness and exaltation of the first exchange, the budding love.

A mixture of citrus fruits, green leaves, orris root, incense, cade wood ...

The packaging is an original composition In Paris at Antoinette Poisson hand painted "in tempera" inspired by Aubusson tapestries and in particular in "greenery", these hangings very popular from the end of the Middle Ages which adorned noble interiors with plant motifs. This influence of nature is associated with the stylistic rendering of panoramic wallpapers very popular at the beginning of the XNUMXth century.

"Joli Bois is innocence, desire, attraction, a meeting, the green of the forest" Lyn Harris

Beloved: The Flower of the Age
September 10, 1745, Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson was offered the domain of Pompadour and acquired the nobility by becoming Marquise. She embraces her destiny and becomes the favorite of King Louis XV, known as the "Beloved".

This fragrance with floral and powdery notes is an invitation to stroll through the paths of the gardens of the Palace of Versailles. It is the bouquet of freshly cut flowers on La Pompadour's arm, the blossoming of a woman, mistress of the king, mistress of her destiny.

A mixture of lemon, green leaf, lilac, orange blossom, jasmine, ylang-ylang, iris, cedar, white musk ...

The pattern was created from embroidered flowers from the XNUMXth century. Bien-Aimée's floral arrangement represents a large seedling of flowers on a sunny yellow background that evokes the radiance of Madame de Pompadour at court. Each flower is a unique creation of embroidery dating from the XNUMXth century.

"Bien-Aimée, it is the garden of Versailles, immense beauty, an armful of flowers with intense aromas, passion and frivolity" Lyn Harris

Tison: Mature age
1751, the Marquise de Pompadour is no longer the King's favorite. At 30, she aspires to peace and quiet, far from the intrigues of the court. Despite everything, she will remain the great love and confidante of the King until the end of her life.

We find smoky and woody notes, which inspire the tranquility and warmth of the fireplace, the incandescence of the embers in the crackling wood fire of the small living room. The flame that has long animated the Marquise de Pompadour is still burning.

A mixture of bergamot, galbanum, elemi, rose, beeswax, cedar, papyrus, patchouli, cade, incense ...

Tison's stylized pattern borrows from the tradition of domino papers. Its repeated design of small flaming woods evokes the cozy and warm world of interiors and echoes the printing and engraving techniques of dominoes.

"Tison is the home where she retires after their separation, the solitude, the library, the comfort of a hot chocolate by the fire, the smell of beeswax" Lyn Harris

A collection in an Old Regime spirit, half bucolic, half aristocratic.

Learn more Antoinette Poisson fragrances.

Thais - Biutiful Creative Studio

Text and photos: Thaïs / Biutiful Creative Studio