Guerlain, Shalimar, 30 ml. or 1 oz. Flacon, Parfum Extrait, Flacon Chauve Souris, 1923, 1999, Paris, France ..

The House of Guerlain is one of the oldest perfume houses in the world. It was founded in 1828 when Pierre-Francois Pascal Guerlain opened up his first perfume store on 42, Rue de Rivoli in Paris. Pierre-Francois composed and manufactured custom perfumes with the help of his two sons, Aime & Gabriel. His unique approach was to personalize perfume for a specific person, place or event. Honore de Balzac commisioned his own eau de toilette during the writing of Cesar Birotteau, and the periodical La Sylphide, le Journal des Elegances, scented each issue with a different fragrance by Guerlain.

Guerlain catered to the high society of Paris, and obtained a very loyal following. The perfume house was so successful that Guerlain decided to open a flagship store at 15, Rue de la Paix in Paris in 1840. The house was at its peak in 1853 with it's fragrance Eau de Cologne Imperiale. This perfume gained Guerlain the prestigious title of His Majesty's Official Perfumer of France. This in turn led him to create perfumes for other royals such as Queen Victoria of England, Empress Sissi of Austria and Queen Isabella of Spain as well as other crowned heads of royalty.

Pierre-Francois passed away in 1854 and his sons inherited the perfume house. Aime became the master perfumer, a tradition that would be upheld for the next master perfumer in lineage. Gabriel managed and further expanded the house. Aime, created several fragrances for the perfume house, these include Fleur d'Italie, Rococo, and Eau de Cologne de Coq and his greatest creation, Jicky. In 1914, Guerlain moved to 68, Champs-Elysees Paris.

The business was then handed down to Gabriel's sons, Jacques & Pierre Guerlain. Jacques became the third master perfumer and created many fragrances in his lifetime. His creations include Eau de Coq, L'Heure Bleu, Apres L'Ondee, Shalimar, Vol de Nuit, Ode, and Mitsouko. These perfumes were so successful that some are still sold today. Jacques grandson, Jean-Paul Guerlain is the fourth generation master perfumer and has authored several perfumes and men's colognes including Vetiver, Habit Rouge, Samsara, Nahema, Jardins de Bagatelle and many others.

Shalimar was created by Jacques Guerlain in 1925, as a tribute to the legendary love story between Emperor Shahjahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Before he became emperor his name was Prince Khurram. According to the legend, twenty-year-old Prince Khurram met a young girl, named Arjumand Banu at the bazaar where her family worked. Mesmerized by her beauty, after becoming emperor, he made her his wife as Mumtaz Mahal, meaning the "Jewel of the Palace". After the wedding ,the prince and Mumtaz were inseparable, in war and in peace. She had given 13 children to Shahjahan and died during the birth of their 14th child at the age of 39. Her death devastated Shah Jahan and had built Taj Mahal in memory of his wife and their undying love. Shalimar is named after ‘The Gardens of Shalimar'. It was Mumtaz’s favorite garden.

Shalimar is one of the best selling perfumes ever and its magic is undeniable. The coolness of the citrus notes leads to floral heart ending with a warm and luxurious trail. The fragrance can be described as vanilla, powdery and sweet. It is considered to be an Oriental perfume; and notably, spicy perfumes were popular during Shalimar's conception.

Top notes are Bergamot, Lemon, Citrus Notes, and Neroli
Heart notes are Jasmine, May Rose, Iris, and Incense
Base notes are Opopanax, Tonka Bean, Vanilla, Peru Balsam, and Gray Amber

Offered here is a lovely 30 ml. sealed traditional bottle of this dynamic perfume. Utterly beautiful and highly collectible. Gorgeous!! This flacon is known as Flacon Chauve Souris, or the Bat bottle. The batch code on the bottom reads DH 03J, which indicates that it was produced in January 1999. Presented in its original inner and outer boxes .. A lovely treasure .. !