Poster for the Osmotheque Conference The Golden Age of Italian Perfumery (Courtesy of the Osmothèque)

The first thematic conference of 2019 organized by the Osmotheque (the Versailles-based, first perfume archive in the world) was a double joy for me to attend on January 23. First due to its fascinating subject, The Golden Age of Italian Perfumery; and second because it was presented by one of my colleagues, our own Çafleurebon Editor and vintage perfume connoisseur, Ermano Picco.

Bernard Bourgeois & Ermano Picco  at Osmothèque Conference The Golden Age of Italian Perfumery (Photo courtesy of Ermano)

In an auditorium filled with students, perfume enthusiasts, and industry notables like Patricia de Nicolaï (President of the Osmothèque since 2008), Francis Kurkdjian, and Stéphanie Bakouche (Parfumeur-Osmothécaire), Ermano gave us a fascinating 1 ½ hour tour through the greatest Italian olfactory creations from the 1910s till the 1980s, with the aid of Parfumeur-Osmothécaire, Bernard Bourgeois.

Ermano Picco & Bernard Bourgeois presenting Aqua di Parma Colonia at Osmotheque ConferenceThe Golden Age of Italian Perfumery (Photo courtesy of the Osmothèque)

After a brief historical reference to perfume making in Florence and Venice from the Renaissance till the 19^th century, Ermano traced the beginnings of the Golden Age of Italian Perfumery in the beginning of 20^th century; the first landmark was the 1916 Aqua di Parma Colonia, which launched the brand's prolific production that continues till today.

Schiaparelli Shocking (Photos courtesy of Ermano)

However, the first real international attention to Italian perfumery didn't come before the 1930s, when more abstract, innovative and bold creations emerged: Schiaparelli's audacious, influential spicy/animalic classic Shocking (1937) and the gender-bending aromatic chypre Snuff (1938), Gi.Vi.Emme's (a perfume house owned by Count Giuseppe Visconti di Modrone, father of director Luchino Visconti) Contessa Azzurra, Borsari's ambery floral Il Mio Sogno (1939), and Bertelli's awarded Come Tu Mi Vuoi.

Paglieri Fior di Loto  (Photos courtesy of Ermano)

Later important creations included Paglieri's beautiful floral Fior Di Loto (1946), and Vidal's famous, highly aromatic Pino Silvestre (1955). By the 1960s Italian perfumery’s quality and elegance had already been widely recognized, at a time when Italian fashion and cinema was also booming; the new era's most emblematic creations mainly came from brands already established in the fashion world.

Capucci Graffiti (Photos courtesy of Ermano)

The best examples of this period (that reached until the late 1980s) are distinctive green chypres like Capucci's Graffiti (1963), Emilio Pucci's Vivara (1965) and the original La Perla (1985), as well as a series of great masculine classics like Capucci Pour Homme (1967), the original Gucci Pour Homme (1975) and Armani Pour Homme (1984), and Versace L'Homme (1984). During this exciting olfactory tour everybody had the chance to smell all the fragrances presented (many of which are sadly discontinued, or significantly reformulated), kindly supplied by both Ermano, and the Osmothèque. At the end of his presentation, Ermano left us with a little teaser for a possible second part in the near future, which will cover Italian perfumery from the 1990s till today. We're looking forward to it.

Despina, Ermano & Mme de Nicolaï at Osmotheque Conference The Golden Age of Italian Perfumery (Photo courtesy of Ermano)

Note: Osmothèque’s thematic conferences take place almost every month at the amphitheater of IPAG Paris, situated at 184 boulevard Saint-Germain, 75006, in Paris. The next conference is on February 19, and it will be about La Maison Patou.

– Despina Veneti, Editor