ROMEA D'AMEOR - THE MISTRESSES OF LOUIS XIV - LES MAITRESSES DE LOUIS XIV 

A perfume of tonic olfactive virtues to revitalize imagination and knowledge. A perfume to stimulate learning and memory

For independent women who relish their femininity and their mystery, the Flame Lily from the Brocéliande Forest seduces by its very subtlety. Recognized since Louis XIV’s mistresses as a remarkable natural beauty product of immense versatility, its secret has always been closely guarded

Versailles, parc of castel, june 1668

From the very start of his day, the king puts aside protocol to savour in peace the moment when nature wakens and to contemplate the gardens and fountains whose floral magnificence has been so masterfully arranged by Le Nôtre the court gardener.

He half closes his eyes and breathes in the aromas of spring as he sweeps his gaze over the immense panorama. Not without a quiver of desire, he decides that of his mistresses, she who wears a perfume best able to conjure up the beauty of the park at the forthcoming ball in the Hall of Mirrors will become his favourite. His wish is that she will embody feminine beauty, the magnificence of the gold-panelled rooms and the wonder of the gardens. She will exalt the image of Versailles, its luxury and its renown far beyond the kingdom.

Shortly after this announcement is made to the court where certain mistresses are present, the court gardener is alarmed to find that not only have flowers been stolen from the beds leaving them stripped of colour, but specimens from the Orangerie have also been taken.

In order to put a stop to the pillaging of the gardens, rules are set down for the competition, one of which is that each candidate has the right to accompany the royal perfumer for one day only, his being the richest perfume chest in the country.

On the chosen day, Louis XIV opens the ball and dances in turn with each aspiring mistress to evaluate the perfume she wears. One has chosen lily-of-the-valley, another rose, and another carnations but despite the quite remarkable sumptuousness of colours and scents, none meets with the final approval of the king, who finds the blend of floral notes too heady.

As the music stops, the guests hold their breath while the king walks back to his throne unable to hide his disappointment. At that moment he sees Madame de Montespan with whom he has not danced. She has remained deliberately discreet choosing to dress simply and to enhance her natural beauty with the perfume she has had concocted specially for the occasion.

The king orders the musicians to resume and after just a few steps of the dance he falls under the charm of his partner, whom he compliments asking after the secret of her perfume whose notes match perfectly those of the music.

Madame de Montespan then replies: “Sir, the voluptuous perfume emanates from the heart of the rose and nestles between its petals, the leaves form its crown and the branch becomes its pedestal. Look at the bumble bee as it sucks in the nectar, fluttering with such precision between the dense flower beds of the park, where each shrub heralds new discoveries. But every rose has a thorn…”

With these words, Madame de Montespan wins over the king once and for all and becomes his favourite. The episode augurs well ensuring that their famously passionate relationship never lacks piquant. The Marquise is later to reveal part of her secret. She learnt the rudiments of alchemy in her youth when she spent time in the Domaine de Lussac in Vienne. She mastered the art of mixing notes from rubbing leaves, from different flowers and from the wooded undergrowth.

The park at Versailles was to become a huge source of inspiration to her and it is here that the rarest perfumes are kept to this day.