THE STORY BEHIND PYXIS

THE STORY BEHIND PYXIS

THE NAME OF THE FRAGRANCE

In the House of the Vetti at Pompeii there are a number of frescos depicting various industries with young cupids (also called erotes or cherubims) at work. One of the frescos clearly demonstrates the art of making perfume, depicting a pose of a woman testing the fragrance on completion. That was the perfume we wished to recreate, and in its honor we named it Pyxis, recalling the little Pixies (or Piskys) which made the original, and gave the inspiration to perfumer Sperato. The “Py” suffix also means fire (as in pyromancer, or pyrotechnics...) and is appropriate for a fragrance born again from a fiery volcanic burial.

COLOUR

Terracotta red reflects the tiling of roman villas, and the lava flow of Vesuvius.

HOW PYXIS WAS REDISCOVERED AND RE-CREATED

Everyone knows the story of Pompeii and Herculaneum. How these two Roman towns were destroyed and buried by pyroclastic flows and surges from an eruption of Vesuvius in 79A.D. It cannot be better described than through the observation of Pliny the younger below:

"A cloud, from which mountain was uncertain at this distance, was ascending, the form of which I cannot give you a more exact description of than by likening it to that of a pine tree, for it shot up to a great height in the form of a very tall trunk, which spread itself out at the top into a sort of branches; occasioned, I imagine, either by a sudden gust of air that impelled it, the force of which decreased as it advanced upwards, or the cloud itself being pressed back again by its own weight, expanded in the manner I have mentioned; it appeared sometimes bright and sometimes dark and spotted, according as it was either more or less impregnated with earth and cinders. This phenomenon seemed to a man of such learning and research as my uncle extraordinary, and worth further looking into."

"He ordered a light vessel to be got ready, and gave me leave, if I liked, to accompany him. I said I would rather go on with my work; and it so happened he had himself given me something to write about."

It was in September 2003 that we first read an article describing the discovery of a preserved perfumer’s house in Pompeii. We set off for the ruins where the Soprintenza Archeologica di Pompeii granted us permission to explore the house of unguentari Sperato (that was what they believed his name to have been) near the Norcera gate of Pompeii.

Sperato’s public motto was “In Herbis Salus, in Lequem Vita!” which meant “Health in herbs, life in Propolis!” (a wax-like resinous substance collected by honey bees from tree buds or other botanical sources, and said to be a health giving food).

At this time Pompeii was both a loving and lustful city, there were over forty Lupanare – brothels – in the vicinity. The poetry of Gaius Valerius Catullus from a couple of centuries earlier, describes an appreciation of perfume, often linked to Aphrodite goddess of love.

"You will dine well, dear Fabullus, at my place In a few days, if the Gods are kind to you, If you bring along with you a dinner large, and splendid, and yes, a charming girl as well, and wine and wit and every kind of laughter. If, as I say, you bring along these things, sweet friend, you will dine well. For your Catallus’ wallet Is full of dust and cobwebs. But in return you will receive the purest essence of love or something still more fragrant and more graceful, for I’ll provide a perfume which was given to my girl by the Venuses and Cupids."

And further….

“But I shall return your favour with the sweetest of refinements. In fact, I shall give you a perfume conferred on my sweetheart by love and desire, and when you smell it, O my Fabullus, you will pray to the Gods to make you all nose!”

Sperato spent his life formulating scented products to both invoke and provoke love. He took the earlier work of the Greek poetess Sappho as the leitmotif, or recurring theme, of his creations.

• “Now shakes my soul a wind on the mountains Overwhelming the oaks”
• That wind on the mountains was the force of love.
• “Once again Love drives me on, that loosener of limbs, bittersweet creature against which nothing can be done.”

The perfume of Sperato was clearly one of a number of formidable love potions. Pyxis builds on the findings of Antica Erboristeria along with my own conjectures based on the burnt seeds and spores of herbs, plants and flowers found in Sperato’s garden, as well as the remnants of materials found in his storerooms- all the aromatic gatherings of Empire. Givaudan perfumer Mike Evans composed, appropriately enough, a perfume called a Chypre.

Taken from the French name for Cyprus, a Chypre by definition is an accord of a number of aroma materials, consisting of citrus (normally bergamot) a floral combination, oakmoss and labdanum.

We had come full circle to the Island of the Goddess of Love Aphrodite in producing Pyxis for your delight. A true “shaker of limbs.” It is only fitting that Pliny should have the last word in this story with a description of the fertile volcanic soil of Campania, the rich source from whence sprung Pyxis.

“It is certainly the case that a soil which has a taste of perfumes will be the best soil….after a shower the earth sends out that divine breath of hers, of quite incomparable sweetness, which she has conceived from the sun. This is the odour which ought to be emitted when the earth is turned up, and the scent of the soil will be the best criterion of its quality”.