Fra Cosimo Bucelli's recipe of 1743 begins with red rose petals smoked over benzoin, dried in the shade, soaked in aromatic waters and pounded with cinnamon, cloves, orris, storax, labdanum and nutmeg. Bucelli was the Officina's Dominican director and the manuscript, Segreti della Fonderia di Sua Altezza Reale, holds the earliest written Pot Pourri in its archive. It is a recipe for a bowl, not a bottle.
The eau de cologne turns that preparation into something to wear. Laurel sits at the top beside bergamot and bitter orange, so the herbs arrive in the first minute instead of waiting behind the citrus. Lavender, thyme, rosemary and clove make the heart. Cedarwood, patchouli and balsam of Peru hold the base. On skin the herbs come through dry, because resin and wood sit directly beneath them. The house files it simply as aromatic.
It smells of dried plants in a cool stone room more than of a garden in flower. The same composition scents the Pot Pourri Bath Gel, Liquid Soap and Scented Wax Tablets we carry. This is the eau de cologne, 100ml, in the Firenze 1221 Edition bottle.
Spec
- Eau de cologne, 100ml
- Firenze 1221 Edition
- Family: aromatic
- Top: bergamot, bitter orange, laurel
- Heart: lavender, thyme, rosemary, clove
- Base: cedarwood, patchouli, balsam of Peru
- Earliest recorded recipe: 1743 manuscript by Fra Cosimo Bucelli
