Women Quote of the Day, from François de Malherbe: Like a Comment on Le Parfum de Thérèse
Femme portant un fruit by Paul Gauguin, 1892 (Woman carrying a Fruit)
"There are only two beautiful things in the world, women and roses, and only two choice morsels: women and melons."
"Il n'a a que deux belles choses au monde, les femmes et les roses, et que deux bons morceaux: les femmes et les melons."
François de Malherbe (1555-1628)...
This quote from French writer François de Malherbe made me think of the perfume Le Parfum de Thérèse by Frederic Malle, a fragrance originally composed by Edmond Roudnitska for the private usage of his wife Thérèse. In it, a note of melon dominates. Why melon to write a song of love? Then there is the perfume composed by their son Michel Roudnitska for Del Rae, Emotionnelle. In it too a note of melon dominates even more as if to pay homage to both the olfactory memory of his mother and the composition by his father.
I love the fact that Malherbe thought about that intimate, central association several centuries ago. Melon as the essence of femininity and beauty, who knew?
Then I also like the idea that there must be a rose note also somewhere in the Le Parfum de Thérèse as there is in virtually all perfumes.
To think that Malherbe could have smelled Le Parfum de Thérèse and understood it is thrilling.
