A Scented Palace: The Secret History of Marie Antoinette’s Perfumer by Elisabeth de Feydeau

Description Reviews (0) The untold story of Marie Antoinette’s perfumer, Jean-Louis Fargeon. Montpellier, 1748: Jean-Louis Fargeon was born into a family of perfumers and soon became apprentice to his father’s modest perfumery. But he dreamed of the glittering court of Versailles and of becoming perfumer to the young queen, Marie Antoinette. His ambition carried him to Paris where his boutique became one of the most elegant and well-patronised in France. Concocting sumptuous perfumes and pomades for most of the French nobility – the ingredients and procedures of which are listed in the book’s appendices – Fargeon eventually caught the attention of the queen. After meeting Marie Antoinette in the Trianon Palace, he began creating lavish bespoke scents that perfectly reflected her moods and personality. Through Fargeon’s relations with the royal court, where he spent fourteen years as the queen’s personal and exclusive perfumer, the reader is granted privileged access to the world of Marie Antoinette. A Scented Palace is a unique perspective on her life including her fascination with dress and fashions – a fascination that was to contribute to her downfall. Fargeon’s story touches on many aspects of life in eighteenth-century France, from the development of a bourgeois family and career, to how the suffering of hungry Parisians led to revolt, to in-depth information on the development of the cosmetics and perfume industry and its relation to scientific development during the Enlightenment. The descriptions of Parisian society and commerce provide a window into the ways of life during this turbulent chapter of France’s history.The untold story of Marie Antoinette’s perfumer, Jean-Louis Fargeon.About the AuthorElisabeth de Feydeau obtained a PhD in the history of perfume at the University of Paris-Sorbonne. She is a professor at the Versailles School of Perfumers and cultural adviser to France’s great perfume houses, including Christian Dior, Thierry Mugler, Chanel, Guerlain and Lancaster. She is the author of several books, including Diptyque, The Guerlain Novel and The Herbarium of Marie Antoinette, which has been translated into several languages. She was awarded the Prix Guerlain for this book in 2005 and was made a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in 2011.ReviewsAn entrancing biography. * Elle *A subtly distilled life. Fargeon’s impressions of Marie Antoinette are particularly compelling. — Judith Thurman * New Yorker *Rhapsodic and piquant… full of information. * New York Review of Books *The book’s heroes are Marie Antoinette, perfume and Fargeon in that order, but what emerges is a powerful evocation of a lost world. — Erica Wagner * The Times *Learning about Fargeon’s relationship with the Queen and about the fragrances that he compounded is particularly relevant for me. It is also fascinating to read about the ingredients, many of which are used to this day. — Evelyn Lauder * Vanity Fair *De Feydeau’s descriptions of Versailles Palace’s obsessions with coiffure, fashion, perfume and cosmetics are alluring. — Sam Leith * Daily Telegraph *De Feydeau’s lively account gives the reader an additional twist on the life and times of Marie Antoinette and her influence on two of France’s continuing major industries – fashion and scent. * Washington Post *Interesting and well-written. — Rebecca Chappell * French Magazine *Book InformationISBN 9780755647149Author Elisabeth de FeydeauFormat PaperbackPage Count 176Imprint Tauris ParkePublisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLCWeight(grams) 170g Reviews There are no reviews yet. Be the first to review “A Scented Palace: The Secret History of Marie Antoinette’s Perfumer by Elisabeth de Feydeau” Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Your rating * Rate… Perfect Good Average Not that bad Very poor Your review *Name * Email * Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.