A FORMULA THAT ILLUSTRATES DAPHNE’S METAMORPHOSIS
First there is the minerality and whiteness of the marble in Bernini’s sculptures (WHITE SANDALWOOD, ORANGE BLOSSOM), then the pursuit of Apollo, "carried on the wings of love", and Daphne’s frantic flight, "her body exhausted, overcome by the exertion" (STYRAX), followed by “the heavy torpor” that seizes the nymph, whose once-nimble feet become immobile roots (CORPS RACINE®, IRIS, PATCHOULI…), her chest “enveloped in a thin bark” (CEDAR, VETIVER…), “her hair becomes foliage, her arms branches” (GALBAZINE, LAURIER). Finally, IMMORTELLE pays tribute to a woman’s vow to “enjoy her virginity for ever”.
THE TEXTS IN QUOTATION MARKS ARE EXTRACTS FROM OVID’S EPIC POEM *THE METAMORPHOSES*
(*1st century AD)
AN ILLUSTRATED MYTH...
Our packaging depicts a myth that unfolds in four stages:
1. The cap of the 50ml bottle depicts THE ORIGIN of the myth of Apollo and Daphne: it shows Eros/Cupid ready to take revenge on Apollo by firing two arrows – a golden arrow that makes Apollo fall madly in love with Daphne, and a leaden arrow that closes the nymph’s heart forever. 2. The four sides of the cap illustrate THE CHASE. 3. The cross-shaped interior of the pack’s base depicts THE BEGINNING OF DAPHNE’S METAMORPHOSIS, from a perspective inspired by Bernini’s sculpture
A METAMORPHOSIS TURNED POETIC...
4. Finally, the case for the travel-size bottle depicts THE COMPLETE METAMORPHOSIS: Daphne is now nothing more than a laurel bush, her heart still beating beneath the bark…
Like engravings, the illustrations are by the French artist Dimitri Rybaltchenko. His versatile talent and his eye for details that reveal themselves to the curious observer enhance the fragrance’s poetic dimension with a unique grace.