The last great mistress of France, Madame du Barry lead le vie extreme!
Her life started as the illegitimate daughter of a very beautiful woman (who said she was a seamstress). Her name was Jeanne Becu. She was taken under the care of a well to do lady for a while but then cast out to fend for herself, which she did by selling trinkets in the streets of Paris. She was a woman with beautiful curly blonde hair, almond shaped blue eyes, a lovely figure, and though kind hearted she was nobody's fool.
She spent several years in a brothel and collected rich and influential men as clients. Soon she was entertaining aristocrats, then being taken to court and finally was introduced to Louis XV himself. He fell deeply in love with her, mostly for her kindess of heart and genuineness.
She was installed as The Great Mistress and quickly vanquished her enemies. Her spending was legendary and she mostly kept out of politics. Her life was very sweet indeed, the most beautifully dressed woman in France, loved by the king, deferred to by everyone there was nothing more to which she could aspire.
Alas, all good things must come to an end. Louis died of smallpox and the next king and his queen didn't care for duBarry at all. Marie Antoinette was particularly offended by DuBarry's background and "immorality" (the Austrian princess had a very strict sense of morality). DuBarry was too expensive and of no use to them at all. DuBarry was exiled to a convent, then to just staying away from Paris. But her isolation could not help her, and her former assistant, who she had treated very well, a Bengali was picked up by the forces of the Revolution and was pressured into turning on duBarry. Moreover, sentiment turned against her for her lavish spending while the citizens of France starved. She was arrested, tried, convicted, and found her way to a tumbril headed for the guillotine while crying out to the crowd,"Why do you want to hurt me? I have done nothing to you!" She was summarily executed
As befits a time with strict rules in perfumery, I start out with a base of rosewood, I stretch a framework of galbanum over it, give it a kick of amber, and a small amount of green cardamom, a bit of lemon zest and lime zest.
Somehow this perfume manages to be dignified and fun at the same time.
Comments