THE ART OF PERFUMERY

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 103, 26 January 1924, Page 15

THE ART OF PERFUMERY

SCENTS—-ANCIEN T AND MODERN

The ar? of perfumery is of a venerable antiquity and, like other additions to the beauty of life,, had its origin in religious ceremonial. Pliny traces its earliest use to the East, where flourish the trees and plants ■which yield their fragrance in response to simple processes—the balsam and incense trees, the aloe, cinnamon, santal, camphor, nutmeg and cloves, and numerous sweet-smelling gum resins. So far as can be determined the perfumes used in ancient Egypt and Persia were entirely dry t the Egyptian ladies carrying , little pouches of odoriferous gums, or beads of scented wood, as do the Chinese even until now, and perfuming their apartments by means of dried flowers mixed with spices, from which we •liave derived the pot pourri of our own drawingrooms (says the “Melbourne Age”). The word perfume is derived from per fumum, “by the aid of smoke,” originating in the ancient custom of burning resinous substances and aromatic woods in the temples to do honour to the divinities, who were thus credited with much better taste than were the gods of later times, who were supposed to hanker after the crude stench of burning flesh, either human or animal. The Bible is full of references to the perfumes of the East, and to abstain from their use was a sign of humiliation and disaster, as when Isaiah foretold among other calamities that “it shall come to pass that instead of a sweet smell there shall be a stink.” The song of Solomon heaps imagery upon imagery, culling its odorous allegories from all the gardens of the East:—“Spikenard with saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense: ' myrrh and. aloes, with all the chief spices.” Perfumes were in use among the Eastern races for many ages before they made appeal to the colder nations of the Western Hemisphere. Homer only twice alludes to such ener- . vating luxuries, and Solon positively forbade the Athenians to use perfumes. But those subtle people, accustomed to a discriminating use of their other senses, could not. see why their noses should be ostracised, and having once made the acquaintance of sweet perfumes they were quick to adopt all that were already in existence, and proceeded to exercise their talents by adding to the fragrant list with the utmost extravagance, and ingenuity. It is difficult to imagine what the effect would be upon our unaccustomed olfactory nerves if we were suddenly to find ourselves guests in an ancient Athenian apartment. The room itself was first perfumed, either bv burning incense, or by sprinkling the furniture with scented waters, and the cuests were then lavishly and individually anointed. “Each portion of the bodv has its appropriate oil or essence. Mint was recommended for the arms, palm oil for the jaws and breasts: the eyebrows and hair were anointed with an unguent extracted from marjoram; the knees and neck with ground ivy,” while, to add to the confusion of odors, we. are told that doves, each drenched in a different perfume, hovered above the already reeking guests and .... from their heavy wings

Showered their sweets upon our robes and furniture.

The Romans very soon followed the example of the Greeks in the use o perfumes. In Rome also the custom was forbidden by virtuous rulers, out prohibition seems to have been as ineffective then as now, for Hie pnicipal street of Capua, called Seplasia, was given over entirely to the imi - facturers and sellers of these sweet wares, who used the famous 01 Ben as the base for their oils and purified tallow for the unguents, lhe Romans, with their, usual thoroughness, became enthusiastic devotees of the new cult, finally arrmng at a stage of fanatacism when they believed that their very eagles and standards were unfit to face the barbarous hosts of northern Europe unless they had been duly anointed. If the> engagement were successful the cere mony was repeated, but no such reward awaiied emblems which bad been carried to defeat. The daily bath in which the Romans delighted, though first dedicated to the interests of cleanliness and, health, afterwards degenerated into hour-long affairs of luxury and amusement in which repeated anointings with oil played a principal part, these were applied not only before and after, but sometimes even occupied an interval during the bath Me reflect with satisfaction that the Roman roads were of notable make. ■ How • would a well-oiled citizen of to-day look after the dust of a .north wind day had amused itself with him for half an hour. And how would he feel? England, chilly and unimaginative, remained unperfumed for dreary centuries. Stow has informed us with admirable exactitude of the date when the fragrant tributes of the perfumer s art first made their appearance ini her northern fastnesses. He says. Milliners and haberdashers could (not) make any costly wash or perfume until about the fifteenth year of the Queen (Elizabeth). Earl of Oxford camo from Italy, and brought with him gloves, sweet bagges, a perfumed leather jerkin, and other pleasant things, and that year the Queen had a pair of perfumed silk gloves, trimmed only with four tuffes or roses of coloured silk; the Queen took such pleasure in these gloves that she was pictured with these gloves upon her hands, and for many years after it was called the Earl of Oxford’s perfume.” Once introduced, sweet perfumes went their usual triumphant way in England, and with great rapidity, for we are told that they “were never richer, more elaborate, more costly or more delicate than in the reign of Elizabeth,” and Milton’s austere pages are starred with fragrant allusions to — Sabean odours from the spicy shore Of Arabie the blest. and even his ascetic nose was 'not proof against the “stream of rich distilled perfume” which flowed over the land. But our England has always been subject to strange manifestations of the non-conformist conscience, or its equivalent, and in 1770 an act was introduced into Parliament, which read: —“That all women, of whatever age, rank, profession, or degree, whether virgins, maids or widows, that shall, from and after such act, impose upon, seduce and betray into matrimony any of his Majesty’s sub-

jects, by the scents, paints, cosmetic washes, artificial teeth, false hair, Spanish wool (wool impregnated with carmine, and used to this day as a rogue), iron stays, hoops, high-heeled shoes, bolstered hips, shall incur the penalty now in force against witchcraft and like misdemeanours, and that the marriages, upon conviction, shall stand null and void.”