History of Modern Perfumery: The Renaissance, The Poisoner, and the French Take
The fragrant thread that led us to modern perfumery is not linear. Though its history extends back 4,000 years to ancient Mesopotamia, we can trace back to certain olfactory expeditions during the Spice Trade for helping birth perfumery in the West as we know it today.
A brief history of modern perfumery
In 1497 — during the Age of Exploration — the Portuguese explorer, Vasco de Gama, made the first voyage from Europe to India, taking on the sea in search of a direct route to lands where spices were plentiful, circumventing the Venetian-controlled routes by land.
And indeed, he succeeded. Vasco de Gama departed from Lisbon, sailing around the west coast of Africa to the southernmost tip — the Cape of Good Hope — through the Indian Ocean, and at last, reaching the port of Calicut in 1498.
Thanks to his voyage, a new era of global trade was unlocked, and the flow of spices such as cinnamon, pepper, clove, and nutmeg — and later, vanilla, sandalwood, cocoa, and cardamom via other explorers like Magellan and Columbus — henceforth found its way into flavor and fragrance in the West.
Though extracting fragrance had already taken root in many parts of the world, using a variety of methods for a variety of purposes, this article seeks to spotlight a flashforward in history — to the birth of modern perfumery.
Modern perfume as we know it is this: the artform of mixing fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds with solvents, like alcohol, for the purpose of, well, smelling nice.
This artform, which has scaled to an industry giant worth upwards of $50 billion today, has less a practical purpose than one of excess. Smelling like a flower, so to speak, is a symbol of luxury — one that thrived under the riches of regality, its spirituality, superfluity, superstitions, and diplomatic needs.
In the West, we know that…
The monks of Santa Maria Delle Vigne or Santa Maria Novella of Florence, Italy, recorded recipes of perfumes from 1221.
The first modern perfume — a blend of scented oils in alcohol solution (Hungary Water) — was worn by Queen Elizabeth of Hungary in 1370.
A breakthrough in distillation, producing a 95% proof scented alcohol (aqua mirabilis), in Modena, Italy, led to a shift to liquid perfume over solid by the end of the 14th century.
Spain — already having developed techniques in perfumery from the Moorish period (700s-1500s) and from the Arabians during the crusades in the 12th century — along with its ideal climate for aromatic plants like orange blossom and jasmine and its role in the Spice Trade, was positioned as key player in perfumery starting in the 15th century.
Returning crusaders brought floral fragrances and distillation techniques through Italian city-states — with Venice as the largest trading hub.
The first perfume treatise was published in Venice in 1555, enshrining Italy as a leading innovator in perfumery.
Perfumery during the Italian Renaissance
The art of perfumery itself flourished during the High Renaissance in Italy (1490s to 1527) — with Florence as the epicenter — ignited by the influx of aroma brought over on Spice Trade expeditions and central Italian trading hubs.
Initially, perfume in 15th century Italy was used to mask foul odors and signs of disease and was very much rejected in any frivolous sense. That is, until our patrons of the Italian Renaissance — the Medicis — transformed perfume making into a symbol of luxury.
In 16th century Italy, Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici and Duchess Eleonora di Toledo established the art of perfumery in Florence. They were patrons to the now pharmacy, Santa Maria Novella — and commissioned scents for personal use and gifted fragrances to their political relations.
We owe the fiery spread of perfumery, however, to the duke’s second cousin, Catherine de Medici — along with her trusted perfumer and rumored instrument of poison, René le Florentin.
France as the headliner in modern perfumery
When Catherine de Medici married the French King Henry II and settled at the Palais du Louvre in Paris, it was the start of a significant transition — marking France as the scent capital over Italy.
It’s said that Catherine’s companion, René le Florentin, was so near to her, that only he had indisputable access to her private apartments. It’s also said, if we can whisper the legend, that its he — “fort habile dans ces sortes de matières” (i.e., with his herbal know-how) who poisoned her political rivals with perfumed gloves.
Rumors of “dark arts” aside, René le Florentin birthed a variety of perfumes, popularized perfumed gloves, and influenced new perfumers to open shop in Paris. He gained fame in the city with his own established perfumery and envy in court for his success.
Undoubtedly, thanks to this royal marriage — this feared new queen and her loyal perfumer — their impact persisted, much like the legendary memory a strong fragrance carries, and France henceforth became the primary manufacturer in modern perfumery.