D'Orsay, Duo, 25 ml. or 0.85 oz. Flacon, Parfum Extrait, Baccarat, 1928, Paris, France ..

The perfume house of Parfums d'Orsay is a truly aristocratic perfume line from France. The philosophy of the house is based on quality, understatement, character, seduction, praise, creativity and originality. They are very proud of their long tradition and heritage.

Although the house never belonged to the Count d'Orsay himself, his perfumes and the romantic air of his name gave birth to the Compagnie Francaise des Parfums d'Orsay, founded in 1908 with the goal to preserve the Count's perfume heritage and develop an aristocratic luxury perfume house on its basis. Many of the perfumes developed in this great perfume house were designed for men.

Count D'Orsay was born in Paris, the second son of Albert Gaspard Grimaud, a Bonapartist general. His mother was Eleanore de Franquemont, an illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Württemberg and the Italian adventuress Anne Franchi, and his elder brother died in infancy.

In 1821, he entered the French army of the restored Bourbon monarchy. In the spring of 1823, he met Lord Byron at Genoa, and the published correspondence of the poet at this period contains numerous references to d'Orsay's gifts and accomplishments, and to his peculiar relationship to the Blessington family. A diary which d'Orsay had kept during his visit to London in 1821–1822 was submitted to Byron's inspection, and was much praised by him for the knowledge of men and manners and the keen faculty of observation it displayed.

Duo was launched in 1928. A lovely citrus based opening with gives way to a dark spicy floral mix of mainly rose and carnation, . The dry down develops into a sweetish slightly powdery tonka note accompanied by soft musk.

"There is a sparkling citrus opening, immediately followed by the floral mix, dominated by the rich rose and the spicy carnation. The base gives the impression of a fragrant leather, dark and smoky, although there are no notes to indicate this. I get the feeling of being in an automobile with well-worn leather upholstery, which has been host over its years to all sorts of fabrics, scents and floral bouquet deliveries. Duo is an extremely self-assured scent, in the tradition of the contemporary creations of the house of Weil, designed for wearing with and on fur apparel. It is unisex by today’s standards and is very worth seeking out." Basenotes Review. Jack Twist

Top notes are Neroli, Bergamot, Orange Blossom, and Lemon
Heart notes are Rose, Jasmine, Carnation, Clove, Honeysuckle, and Ylang Ylang
Base notes are Sandalwood, Tonka Bean, Ambergris, and Vanilla

Offered here is a rather rare bottle of this particular D'Orsay perfume in its original presentation box. It has never been opened or used. Very lovely and quite collectible. The bouchon has the lovely D'Orsay crest carved into the crystal. The combination of pink and brown ribbon seal suggest this can be a unisex scent. I believe that DUO refers to the unisex nature of this beautiful perfume. The perfume was licensed to be made in Mexico ..