The Louvre has commissioned the top perfumers in France to create scents inspired by famous artworks found in the museum.
Ramdane Touhami and Victoire de Taillac, co-founders of Officine Universelle Buly 1803, recruited eight perfume experts for their interpretations of eight works from the Louvre.
The perfumers were each given complete control over their scent.
“It is about adding an olfactory dimension to a visual experience. I chose eight perfumers, all-stars, and gave them 100 percent freedom, with no limit on their budgets,” said Touhami to Agence France-Presse.
The perfumers evaluated the piece’s subject matter, look and feel before coming up with a scent.
According to Travel + Leisure, the works chosen were:
“Winged Victory of Samothrace” (a sculpture of the Goddess Nike by an unknown artist)
“Venus de Milo” by Praxiteles
“The Bather and La Grande Odalisque” by Auguste-Dominique Ingres
“Saint Joseph Charpentier” by Georges de La Tour
“Conversation in a Park” by Thomas Gainsborough
“The Bolt” by Jean-Honoré Fragonard
“Nymph with Scorpion”by Lorenzo Bartolini
The perfumers chosen are Jean-Christophe Hérault, Daniela Andrier, Domitille Michalon Bertier, Sidonie Lancesseur, Aliénor Massenet, Delphine LeBeau, Annick Ménardo, and Dorothée Piot.
Mental Floss reports that each perfume has a distinct scent profile which reflects the essence of each artwork.
For example, “The Bather” is a combination of lavender, orange blossom, patchouli and neroli oil — reminiscent of a relaxing, long soak in a bath.
According to Lonely Planet, other examples include:
A spicy combo of pink pepper and incense for “La Grande Odalisque”, a scent of wood chips and verbena for “Saint Joseph Charpentier”, a scent of tuberose, magnolia and myrrh for “Winged Victory of Samothrace”, musk and lilies for “The Bolt”, a bright, spring garden scent for “Conversation in a Park” and herbal and flowery mixture of jasmine and amber for “Nymph with Scorpion”.
You can purchase the scents for $169 and they come in the forms of perfumes or candles.
Scented soap sheets are also available for under $23 and scented postcards for $8.
Although the scents aren’t available online yet, you can find them at the Oficine Universelle Buly pop-up shop in the Allée du Grand Louvre from July 3 until January 6, 2020.