1/ Pomegranate-shaped Pomander
Gilded chiselled steel
Northern Europe (?)
18th century
Rouen, Musée le Secq des Tournelles
Inv No. LS.810
Pomander opening into eight segments articulated around a central screw, mounted on a spherical base. The outer faces are decorated with wine or grape harvest-themed scenes. The segments are actually boxes closed by removable runners where the perfumes, here of plant origin, were added. The substances inserted could be in solid form (paste) or liquid (small impregnated sponges).
Roman numerals are inscribed on the segments whose runners still bear the names of some scents: amber (I), tuberous (II), sinelle [hawthorn fruit] (III), musk (IV), daffodil (VII). The other names are erased, but similar objects show that the missing scents could have been nutmeg, cinnamon, rosemary, cloves, rose or lemon.
Aside from their perfuming properties, pomanders were supposed to protect against infectious diseases such as the plague by releasing protective scents. Scholarly treatises of the time recommended changing the scent from one week to the next, to maximise the desired effect and avoid the phenomenon of “Nature” becoming tolerant to them.
We don’t know when pomanders first appeared, but the oldest still in existence date from the 15th century and mainly come from Germanic regions. All pomanders open into four, six or eight segments. Most have a top ring so they could be hung from a chain (particularly in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries). This personal item, always very precious, could be considered more commonly a male rather than female accessory. This we can gather from the listed decorations (hunting scenes, coats of arms and Dionysian scenes, etc.), and the need for men to travel for business, even during epidemics.
FOR KIDS
Amber apples or scent apples are apple-shaped balls in which scents are arranged. Each quarter opens and contains a perfume.
Unlike today, perfume was not applied directly to the skin, but diffused into an accessory close to the body.
These perfume boxes also had magical and curative virtues, protecting against illness.
2/ Table or bathroom linen
Embroidered linen cloth, silk thread
Italy 16th century
Loaned from Saumur, Château - Museum
Inv No. 919.13.3.92
Napkin decorated at the edges with patterns similar to oriental silks. These fabrics were made from Italy to southern Germany. A less expensive substitute for silks, their use was both religious and secular (as table runners or napkins).
3/ Sponge ball
Silver-plated copper
16th century
Château royal de Blois (Tarbes museum store)
Inv No. D.70.1.6
4/ Perfume bottle
Thick, translucent blown glass
France, Cemetery of Vicq
6th century C. E.
Ile-de-France Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs, Regional Archaeology Department
Inv No. VICQ.1261.1