Godet, Cuir de Russie, Russian Leather, 30 ml. or 1 oz. Flacon, Parfum Extrait, 1950, Paris, France ..

Godet Parfums existed during the golden Art Deco era of Modern perfumery. Conceived at the dawn of the 20th century in 1901 .. some sources claim 1907 as the establishment date .. and founded by Julien-Joseph Godet, the house released a profusion of new perfumes throughout the late 1920s. It appears Godet was dormant during the 1930s and 1940s but may have been briefly resurrected, or possibly bottles of an older stock appeared and were marketed as new, as late as the early 1950s. Godet presentations were well produced; many were housed in numbered Baccarat Cristalleries flacons with artfully lables and highly detailed boxes.

The perfumes must have earned for themselves a good reputation; several were admired enough that they were acquired, rebranded and sold by other houses. History tells that Julien-Joseph died in 1913, leaving his wife Louise and Godet's director Abel Ravaud to carry on the company. Ravaud was married with children at the time and it appears the relationship between Mrs. Godet and her new partner was purely one of business. Nevertheless the two must have gotten on well because Godet went on to produce their most successful perfumes after 1913.

The house eventually won a gold medal for their perfume presentations at the influential 1925 Paris Exposition Des Arts Décoratifs. In fact, from this exposition the term Art Deco was coined. The gold medal win was an important achievement for Godet. The exposition was an international tour-de-force in which France staked a claim as the arbitour of good taste and high culture in a post WW1 world and you can bet they only sent their finest product to be judged in that arena.

History tells that Julien-Joseph died in 1913, leaving his wife Louise and Godet's director Abel Ravaud to carry on the company. Ravaud was married with children at the time and it appears the relationship between Mrs. Godet and her new partner was purely one of business. Nevertheless the two must have gotten on well because Godet went on to produce their most successful perfumes after 1913.

The Russian Leather theme was very popular at the end of the 19th century. Tanning de facto involved less than pleasant smells and tradition in many countries was to further aromatize the end product with fragrant essences to hide the manufacturing process off notes. In Italy they used frangipani, in Spain camphor and ambergris, in France orange blossom, violet, iris and musk were the usual essences prefered. Legend has it that Cuir de Russie as a scentscape was randomly born when a Cossack warrior, galloping across the endless Russian steppe, came up with ‘the idea of rubbing his leather boots with birch bark in order to waterproof them’. Russians tanned their leathers with willows and poplars, as these are common species in the vast steppes. The finishing off involved birch bark oil, which when "cooked" in large pans over an open fire gives a very distinctive odour profile. This is roughly what we have come to describe as "Russian Leather" in perfumery.

Cuir de Russie perfumes have been inspired by the luxurious and masculine scent of leather.

Top notes are Bergamot, Mandarin, Lavender, Rosemary and Thyme
Heart notes are Carnation, Iris, Styrax, Labdanum, Honey, Benzoin, and Birch
Base notes are Amber, Vetiver, Leather, Peru Balsam, Oak Moss and Resins

Offered here is a pristine sealed bottle of this iconic fragrance with its beautiful box. While there are a few Godet perfumes to be found, I haven’t found another Cuir de Russie. Very collectible and precious. It can be worn by both men and women. Evaporation has occurred over the years .. but the perfume smells beautiful at the neck of the bottle and I will seal it with Parafilm to prevent further evaporation ..

Very rare and desirable. Very collectible and precious. It can be worn by both men and women.