Ode to joy

With his use of cheery colours and humanistic approach to his subject matter, Henri Matisse is famously known as ‘the painter of happiness’. It’s a feeling now tapped by the French perfumer Guerlain to fête its 170-year-old Bee Bottle, which was first created by Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain for Empress Eugenie upon her marriage to Napoleon III. Crafted in partnership with Maison Matisse, the design house established by Matisse’s descendants, 14 exclusive new Bee Bottles have been hand-painted by the celebrated French artisan Astrid de Chaillé, inspired by the primary colours and luscious leaf motifs in Matisse’s 1939 work, La Musique. Each kaleidoscopic flaçon contains a sparkling fruity chypre scent composed especially by Guerlain for this project as a tribute to Matisse’s vibrant hues, with sparkling bergamot and apricot notes melded with soft rose and leather. “(Matisse) wanted to bring joyful emotions to life for everyone,” says Jean-Matthieu Matisse, the artist’s great-grandson and founder of Maison Matisse. “This collaboration with Guerlain allows us to add new and unprecedented dimensions to our pieces and extend Henri Matisse’s works into olfactory realms.”