Classic Week Auction – A Sensory Experience

The love story between perfume and art is older than time. When Christie’s asked 12.29 to create a signature perfume for Classic Week, 2019, we were humbled. “Unlike the beautiful Master Paintings up for auction during this week, perfume is not immortal. Its precious memories often are forgotten,” said Dawn Goldwom, President and Chief Creative of 12.29. It was with this challenge; Dawn wanted to bring these Master artworks to life through scent.

To begin her creative process, Dawn wanted to study the colors, textures, and light in pieces curated by Christie’s. Drawing inspiration from the luxurious fabrics in the Jean-Léon Gérôme, Jan de Beer, and Nicolas Régnier paintings. She also examined the brilliant gold used in the Hellenistic wreath and the Sèvres porcelain. Finally, studying the decorative backgrounds and lighting in the art, Dawn knew her scent direction.

Dawn decided to collaborate with Pierre Negrin, the master perfumer at Firmenich, to help create this exquisite scent. “Pierre and I had many conversations, and the six works curated for us as inspiration has an undertone of death, but not death in a morbid sense. It was almost the beauty of death.” Dawn explained.

The Annunciation’ by Jan de Beer

 

Finding a constant contrast of light and dark, she brought forward ‘The Annunciation’ by Jan de Beer. Observing the master painting, she described, “You see the Virgin on the floor praying, and it’s a dark scene. Her cape is over her like a shadow. But you also see the Archangel Gabriel coming down from the sky. The light that comes off him is very pure. It is almost divine. It was this contrast that was constant in every piece we looked at.”

So how do you translate that explanation into a perfume? What is the smell of death? “Not in a way that scares people at Christie’s.” joked Dawn. “We wanted it to be textural; we wanted it to be dark but not morbid. It had to be beautiful. It had to depict the beautiful cycle of life and death. And Pierre helped to bring in the light into the smell of death.”

From left to right: Dawn Goldworm, President and Chief Creative, 12.29, Louisa Howard, Old Master Paintings Specialist, and Pierre Negrin, Master Perfumer, Firmenich

 

Dawn and Pierre presented ‘Allegory,’ the signature scent for Classic Week. The scent captures the beauty of death, as personified through the spiritual experience of art. It creates a transcendental perfume narrative with smoked woods, autumnal spices, ripe jasmine, and animalic musk.

‘There are sensuality and danger in these pieces, and we want to reflect that in the perfume as well.’ – Dawn Goldworm

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