The Museum of Asian Arts of the city of Paris, Cernuschi and the Shanghai Museum join forces to offer us Perfume of China: the culture of incense in the time of the emperors until August 26, 2018, an exhibition on the volatile and sensual theme of perfume in imperial China.
The many facets of perfume
Following a chronological sequence, the exhibition addresses 7 themes ranging from ritual offering to cosmetic perfume, including private devotions. Objects related to perfume such as perfume burns, vases, scented stone bags etc. Alongside representations of scenes of perfume uses.
At first reserved for the worship of deities and ancestors in the imperial family and aristocracy, the use of perfume spread to all strata of society. If perfumes were, at first, intended to intercede with the gods and drive away evil spirits responsible for diseases, it was with the introduction of Buddhism that the use of incense became significant. The most precious materials such as eagle wood (oud) or frankincense are received at court as tribute, and rigorously recorded. Every day, large quantities of these precious incense are burned in the imperial temples.
Their preciousness is such that it is fashionable to be represented as an incense donor.
Little by little, perfumes enter the interiors, whether as a purifier (spiritual and hygienic) but also as a support for reflection.
Thus, from the Song period (960-1279) and the following dynasties, the literati, emerging upper class, made great use of perfumes during their studies, but also to honor great predecessors. At the same time, the science of botany developed and very precise herbaria appearing, bringing together the plants of the Empire, but also imported. Moreover, works entirely intended for perfume are born.
Private devotion develops, but this is not the only use of perfumes.
Very used in body care, it is customary to perfume your clothes via a trellis. It is also possible to swallow perfume pills that are not only known to purify the body, but also allow the skin to exhale a sweet fragrance.
A codified use
However, perfume, a precious and refined element, is not used in any way. A whole set of objects is devoted to this use: perfume burners of different shapes, sometimes accompanied by flower vases and candlesticks, incense pots, incense wands, perfume vases etc. Special furniture, including small dedicated tables, is created and takes a central place in the interiors. In the Ming period (fourteenth -seventeenth century) incense is an integral part of the art of living of the Chinese elites and codified by Gao Lian (act.1580-1600) and Wen Zenheng (1585-1645)
However, incense has many other uses, such as counting the passage of time. Thus, for a given activity, one burns a type of incense whose burning rate is known.
The perfume found
In addition to the quality of the exhibits, which all denote a great refinement and exemplary know-how of the craftsmen, the exhibition surprises with its olfactory terminals which, not only diffuse a perfume illustrating the period represented in the room, but, with their touch screen, allow to discover the ingredients of the perfumes presented.
With one terminal per section, the exposure quickly becomes very odorous, especially since, although softened, some very powerful smells surprise our smells not accustomed to such fragrances, except perhaps in pharmacies, or even in the kitchen.
The reconstruction of these period perfumes was made possible thanks to the sponsorship of the Dior perfume house, whose French perfumer Demachy studied and recomposed the old formulas. The last terminal offers a fragrance inspired by the previous ones, but more in the current taste.
To conclude, the exhibition Perfume of China, the culture of incense at the time of the emperors is interesting by its subject and its use of olfactory terminals. The pieces presented are of very good quality and testify to the refinement of the elites in the art of perfume. An exhibition to see and feel.
