Since antiquity, perfume has always accompanied mankind’s journey. It was the Crusaders who brought this custom to Europe, importing fragrances from the East through Genoa and Venice. With the discovery of America, new fragrant substances arrived in Spain, which also made their way to Italy.
The Renaissance was the golden age of perfumery, especially at the Florentine Medici’s court. By the mid-16th century, Italy held the primacy in perfumes through the cities of Venice and Florence. Florence became the foremost center, to the extent that when Catherine de’ Medici married the future King of France, Henry II, in 1530 and moved to the Parisian court, she brought along the most skilled Florentine chemists, exporting the art of perfumery.
The most used and appreciated perfumes were those of animal origin, which had a stronger and more penetrating smell. “Ambergris,” highly precious, was produced from the intestinal secretions of sperm whales. While “Musk” was an aromatic substance extracted from the preputial glands of a species of mountain deer from Central Asia.
These initially unpleasant-smelling substances were diluted and mixed with large quantities of spices and herbs until they became pleasant and highly persistent.
There were also essences derived from the extraction of flowers and plants, with more pleasant scents. The study of botany and the establishment of gardens for the cultivation of new plant species thus contributed to the spread of natural perfumes.
All the Medici Princes were involved in botany, constantly providing new plants from which to derive spices and essences.
Lorenzo the Magnificent, after the mid-15th century, was the first to dedicate himself to the study of herbs. It was during this period that the first official pharmacopoeia text was compiled, the most important for Renaissance pharmacists: the “Florentine Pharmacopoeia,” which, in addition to medicine, also dealt with the ingredients and recipes used in perfumery and cosmetics.
In 1544, Cosimo I, enthusiastic about botany, created the world’s first botanical garden in Pisa. In 1556, it was the turn of the “Garden of Simples” in Florence, intended for the collection of botanical collections, medicinal herbs, flowers, and citrus fruits of the Medici family. Even Grand Duke Francesco I, Cosimo I’s firstborn, was very interested in botany, to the extent that he designed a hanging garden with flowers and plants on the Loggia dei Lanzi in Piazza della Signoria.
But it was Francesco’s illegitimate son, Don Antonio de’ Medici, who gave greater impetus to the art of perfumery. In love with plants and a student of alchemy, Don Antonio experimented with medicinal recipes and alchemical solutions in which medicinal and aromatic herbs produced in the “Garden of Simples” were combined with mineral powders and essences.
In 1613, Cosimo II planted a “Labyrinth of Greenery and a new garden” in Boboli, and it was he who introduced the fashion of strong-smelling essences, waters, and perfumes from Spain.
Ferdinando II patronized the Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, founded in the 13th century by Dominican friars, famous throughout Italy and abroad for its medicines and perfumed waters. Under his protection, the Officina obtained the honorary title of “Foundry of His Royal Highness.” Opened to the public in 1612, the pharmacy-shop of Santa Maria Novella continues its activity to this day.
Ferdinando II and his son Cosimo III’s studies on plants favored this interest in fragrances, so much so that it was fashionable to prepare a suitable aroma for each person. Even Vittoria della Rovere, Ferdinando II’s wife, had a great passion for perfumes. She did not like delicate ones made with flowers and plants but preferred stronger animal ones and often enjoyed preparing them. Vittoria shared this passion with her brothers-in-law, Cardinal Giovan Carlo and Cardinal Leopoldo.
Giovan Carlo was a lover of sensory pleasure, especially that of smell and taste. His essences were kept in what he called the “Odor Cabinet.”
Among all the members of the family, Cosimo III was certainly the most passionate about botany. From a young age, he had a strong predisposition for this subject, along with medicine. He often took advantage of his trips abroad to acquire new plants and spices. Upon returning to Florence, he had new medicinal and fragrant varieties grafted at Boboli and in the countryside villas. On these occasions, the Grand Duke was always present, collecting the plants with his hands (an action not taken for granted for a Prince!) and studying their virtues. The naturalist Francesco Redi was his good friend. Redi’s famous scientific publications were made possible by the knowledge he acquired in the Medici gardens and grand-ducal apothecaries.
In the 17th century, perfume was not only used as a personal hygiene product but had also become a symbol of luxury and prestige. The Lords themselves engaged in their preparation. All the courts of the time were true greenhouses containing distilled flowers and animal perfumes, to be inhaled in the environments, sprayed on objects, or even on dishes. Diluted in drinks, they stimulated the sense of smell and taste.
That’s why even today Florence hosts a centuries-old tradition, carried on by great international perfumers. Just surrender to the senses and discover these essences around the city!
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