The chiaroscuro of Italian perfumery

 

Hereafter, an excerpt from the book La Grande Profumeria Italiana (The great Italian perfumery), written by Marika Vecchiattini

Leonardo da Vinci had observed that marking the surfaces of things with too sharp lines, was equivalent to making them almost caricatured in their lack of nuances. With the intent to make less clean the outlines of the individuals and objects portrayed in his paintings, Leonardo therefore made the contour line disappear by replacing it with infinite superimpositions of very delicate chiaroscuros. The chiaroscuro lets the protagonists of the paintings emerge from their context with gracious kindness, not with the vehemence of a clear line, but revealing – or hiding – their intimate essence. The nuanced effect – in perfumery as well as in painting – is the exact opposite of rigidly dualistic thinking that translates everything into “white vs. black”, where everything is “right vs. wrong”, sharply rough-hewn and with no second thoughts. Dualistic thinking is in constant search for absolute certainties which, if on the one hand are certainly convenient, they prevent an adequate representation of the most complex realities, on the other hand.

By contrast, Italians like complexity. It is in our DNA: we are articulated, individualistic, capable of harboring all opposites within us. And so are the fragrances representing us.
The outlines of Italian fragrances are rarely well defined, so much so that sometimes it is difficult to classify them in a univocal way. The chords they are composed of blend one inside the other in a slow and deliberate mode, or sometimes they stratify one upon the other in a sensations grid making the fragrances dense, structured, full of a thousand nuances and interesting details which literally “drag you in”.

Sometimes, the complexity is made evident by a flow, a color or an olfactory sensation crossing them and creating contrast with all the rest of the composition, like a crazy and apparently out of place detail which anyhow catches the eye and makes an otherwise boring outfit brilliant.

 

Synopsis and topics of La Grande Profumeria Italiana

The volume will be published by Silvana Editoriale, a prestigious publisher in the field of art catalogs and books on collecting and applied arts. Silvana Editoriale manages the bookshops of many Italian museums, and also of some museums abroad, so the publisher will translate the volume and distribute it also outside Italy. The Italian is planned for the end of March 2020.

La Grande Profumeria Italiana is divided into five chapters:

  • The first chapter traces the history of scent in Italy from the Middle Ages to the present day, with a special focus on the nineteenth century (and on the role played by Parma in the creation of the Italian fragrance industry), and on the twentieth century with the Made in Italy birth.
  • The second chapter outlines the cultural substratum, unique in the world, in which the Italian perfumery is rooted and, obviously, since scent is a cultural event, Italian fragrances differentiate themselves, by a series of very well defined characteristics, from fragrances produced in other countries. This chapter precisely describes this aspect, that is Italianness in perfumery.
  • The third chapter is divided into five sections (the 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, 2010s). Each decade is introduced by a short socio-cultural context explaining in broad terms the social climate of the period. The global trends expressed by the perfumery of the period are identified for each decade, exploring how Italian fragrances fit into it – or frequently innovate it. The twenty most important fragrances, one per page, are presented for each decade. The fragrance fact sheets analyze all the aspects which decreed the singularity of the product (bottle, marketing, name, concept and of course, “jus”). Many market players are present with their iconic fragrances (not necessarily the most successful ones, but the most innovative ones, the ones that have been able to say something new): Bulgari, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Prada, Fendi, Missoni, Armani, Acqua di Parma, Versace, Etro, Cerruti, Byblos, La Perla, Moschino, Trussardi, Krizia, Biagiotti, MiuMiu, Ferrè, Sergio Tacchini, Bottega Veneta, Marni, Zegna... and, in the last two decades, even some independent perfumers (Villoresi, Carthusia, Bruno Acampora, etc.).
  • The fourth chapter examines the creation of the fragrance as a product, from different viewpoints: the creation, the producer of essential oils, the fragrance and flavor company, the contractor company (that produces the “jus”, bottles it, distributes it), the glassmaker creating the bottles, the professional training, the niche distribution. Every aspect is told directly by the voice of protagonists representing the Italian excellence within their sector:
    - The Italian fragrance creator (Maurizio Cerizza), the producer of natural essential oils (Capua 1880);
    - The high-end fragrance house (Moellhausen), the contractor company (ICR), Bormioli Luigi Glassmaker, Mouillettes & Co. for training, Nobile 1942 for the production and distribution of artistic perfumery.
  • The fifth chapter is the list of all (all!) fragrances released under Italian brands from 1070 till today. They are several thousand.

 

La Grande Profumeria Italiana is a fascinating book that was still missing among the ones dedicated to the world of perfumery. Read the interview with the author Marika Vecchiattini.