Weil, Hermine, 'Ermine', 15 ml. or 0.5 oz. Flacon, Parfum Extract, 1927, 1940, Paris, France ..

Furriers since 1912, well before they became purveyors of fine fragrance, the venture of the founder Alfred .. and his brothers Marcel and Jacques .. into perfume resulted from the direct request of a client for a fragrance suitable to fur wearing. Weil obligingly capitulated to the request and produced scents that would guarantee not to harm the fur itself, yet mask the unwelcome musty tonality that fur coats can accumulate after a while. The names are quite literal .. Zibeline is sable, Ermine is hermine, Chinchilla, Une Fleur pour Fourrure .. A Flower for Furs ... Antelope ..

The very first of those, Zibeline, was an expansive floral aldehydic veering into chypre tonalities, conveived as an evocation of the oak forests and steppes of imperial Russia and appropriately named after the animal there captured .. Zibeline, the highest quality in furs for its legendary silky touch, its scarcity value and light weight.

Zibeline belonged to the original fragrant trio line-up that launched the business of Perfumes Weil. Introduced in 1928, Zibeline was comissioned by Marcel Weil and composed by Claude Fraysse assisted by his perfumer daughter, Jacqueline. The Fraysse clan was famous for working in perfumery; his two sons, André and Hybert were to work with Lanvin and Synarome respectively and the son of André, Richard, is today head perfumer at parfums Caron.

Zibeline was released in Eau de Toilette in 1930 but the formulations came and went with subtle differences and their history is quite interesting. First there was Zibeline, then the company issued Secret de Venus bath and body oils product line which incorporated Zibeline among their other fragrances .. a line most popular in the US .. while later they reverted to plain Zibeline again. The Eau versions of Secret de Venus Zibeline are lighter, with less density while the bath and body oil form approximates the spicy tonalities of the Zibeline extrait de parfum, with the latter being more animalistic.

The older versions of parfum were indeed buttery and very skanky, with the fruit and floral elements more of an afterthought and around the 1950s the batches gained an incredible spicy touch to exalt that quality. It's interesting to note men often wore Zibeline in the 1950’s.

Marcel Weil's death in 1933 did not stop expanding their perfumery endeavours; they added several other perfumes: Bambou, Cassandra and Noir. The Weil family was forced out of France by Hitler, so they re-established themselves in New York from where one of the first perfumes released was Zibeline with the quite different in character chypre Antilope being issued in 1945, upon return to Paris in 1946 when they also introduced Padisha. Sadly the multiple changing of hands resulted in the languishing of the firm by the 1980s and although the brand Weil has been in ownership of Interparfums or Aroli Aromes Ligeriens, since 2002 Parfums Weil is largely unsung and long due for a resurgence.

Hermine was launched in the 1927, and as with Ermine coats, it didn't survive that long. This is the only bottle I have had in my possession in over forty years, and so it is very very rare to fine one at all. Hermine by Weil is a Floral fragrance for women and men. The nose behind this fragrance is Claude Fraysse.

Top notes are Magnolia and Orange
Heart notes are Rose and Jasmine;
Base notes are Tonka Bean, Oak Moss, Amber, Labdanum and Vanilla

Hermine was intended to symbolize tenderness and virginity, it was heavy with the sweet flowers of the Pacific Isles. The winter ermine has been used in art as a symbol of purity or virginity. In the Renaissance era, legend had it that an ermine would die before allowing its pure white coat to be besmirched. When it was being chased by hunters, it would supposedly turn around and give itself up to the hunters rather than risk soiling itself. Henry Peacham's Emblem 75, which depicts an ermine being pursued by a hunter and two hounds, is entitled "Cui candor morte redemptus" or "Purity bought with his own death." Peacham goes on to preach that men and women should follow the example of the ermine and keep their minds and consciences as pure as the legendary ermine keeps its fur .In some areas of Japan, because of its adorable appearance and somewhat elusive nature it is still considered a symbol of good luck. Hermine was discontinued in 1940.

Offered here is an increasingly rare flacon of this exquisite and long lost perfume. Price is commensurate with its rarity ..