MEMBER STORIES
MEMBER STORIES
Firmenich Celebrates Scents of the French Riviera
The Lovers ( 1937 ) on loan from the Israel Museum
U nder perfect Provence blue-skies , Firmenich Perfumer Ashley Wilberding Balavoine presented “ The Scents of the French Riviera ” on April 19 th 2017 at The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota , Florida . The lecture was in connection with the Marc Chagall exhibit at the gardens , The Color of Dreams , featuring the masterwork painting The Lovers ( 1937 ) on loan from the Israel Museum , Jerusalem . Balavoine spoke about the history of perfume , the language of perfumery , the role of the Perfumer along with an interactive olfactive presentation where the 220 guests were able to smell raw materials native to Provence such as Jasmine , Lavender , May Rose , Bergamot and Orange Flower .
The event culminated in a painting-to-perfume adaptation : designed exclusively for Selby Gardens , Balavoine created The Lovers perfume which was inspired by Chagall ’ s The Lovers painting . The Lovers fragrance was influenced by the colors , mood and imagery of Provence in Chagall ’ s painting . Drawing from the region where Chagall painted his masterpiece and where she first studied Perfumery , the fragrance was built with natural raw materials from the South of France . In order to evoke the deep blues and warm purples in the painting she employed Orris absolute and Lavender oil . Violet Leaf absolute offered a rich , dark green foliage element to mirror that of the painting . The Perfumer took creative license to interpret the bright red flowers as May Roses in the heart of the perfume . Surprisingly , after many trials , the top note became Cardamom , an exotic spice not native to Provence . That unexpected freshness helped transport the fragrance to a distant place ; in parallel , we are moved by Chagall ’ s dream-like imagery . This was the favorite spice of her father , Stephen Wilberding , whose idea it was to create an exclusive fragrance associated with the exhibition , but had unexpectedly passed away before the event . He was certainly there in spirit .
Each guest received The Lovers perfume , a gift from Firmenich .
FRAGRANCENOTES . ORG 39