Vintage Prince Matchabelli Perfumes

In this article, I will discuss the history and list the various perfumes presented by Prince Matchabelli from 1927 to 1997.

History:

The company was created by Prince Georges V. Matchabelli who was not only a previous Prince of Georgia and ambassador to Italy, but also was an amateur chemist who began creating perfumes for his friends and family as a hobby. George was a Russian exile who fled the Soviet Union and immigrated to the USA after the after the 1921 Bolshevik takeover of Georgia and Russian Revolution.

He and his wife, Princess Norina Gilli Matchabelli (an actress whose stage name was Maria Carmi), opened a small antiques shop Le Rouge et le Noir at 545 Madison Avenue. The name derived from Stendhal's novel, red for aristocracy (Matchabelli's origins) and black for clergy (The Miracle, a religious play). They later established the Prince Matchabelli Perfume Company in 1926. Perfumes were personally blended for clients. The first three perfumes were Princess Norina, Queen of Georgia and Ave Maria.

The company became known for the many color-coded, crown-shaped bottles that housed such well-known perfume brands. The crown-shaped bottle was designed by Norina after the Matchabelli crown and was introduced in 1928 with labels on the underside. Matching cosmetic cases and sets with miniature crowns soon followed. The Matchabellis divorced in 1933. Georges died in 1935, and in 1936 Norina sold the company to perfume manufacturer Saul Ganz for $250,000.

The color coding of the bottles initially:

Queen of Georgia
in red/gilded (1928)

Princess Norina
in red/gilded (1928)

Ave Maria
in black/gilded (1928)

Duchess of York
in a periwinkle blue opaline/gilded (1934)

Katherine the Great
in white/gilded (1935)

Beloved
in blue/gilded (1940)

Crown Jewel
in clear/gilded (1946)

Wind Song
in green/gilded (1953)

Added Attraction
in red/gilded (1956)

The crown shaped bottles are highly collectible and some of them warrant higher prices, which is the case with the older perfume bottles. Dating your bottles: The older Matchabelli crown shaped bottles are all glass, including the cross shaped stopper. These seem to command better princes than their plastic counterparts. The older bottles have colored glass; the later bottles are colored enamel over glass. The tallest bottles stand 6 1/4" tall and the smallest measure just 1 5/6" tall. The 1950s-1960s mini versions omit the cross and have a simple brass or plastic screw cap, these bottles measure 1 5/8" tall and 1 1/4" tall.

The Perfumes of Prince Matchabelli:

    * 1924 Violettes de la Reine de Matchabelli
    * 1927 Ambre Royale
    * 1927 Imperial Violet
    * 1927 Princess Nina
    * 1928 Queen of Georgia
    * 1928 Queen of the Nile
    * 1928 Queen of Georgia
    * 1928 Queen of Egypt
    * 1928 Queen of Babylon
    * 1929 Princess Norina
    * 1929 Ave Maria
    * 1932 Aromizer
    * 1933 Princess Marie
    * 1934 Duchess of York
    * 1934 Grace Moore
    * 1935 Katherine the Great
    * 1935 Muguet
    * 1935 Carnation
    * 1935 Lilac
    * 1935 Honeysuckle
    * 1936 Cherokee
    * 1936 Prince Georges
    * 1936 Sceptre
    * 1936 Snowball
    * 1937 Infanta
    * 1937 Jingle Bell
    * 1938 Abano
    * 1939 Princess of Wales
    * 1940 Christmas Rose
    * 1940 Potpourri
    * 1940 Summer Frost
    * 1942 Call To Arms
    * 1942 Gypsy Pattern
    * 1943 Easter Bonnet
    * 1946 Crown Duet
    * 1946 Crown Jewel
    * 1947 Crown Prince
    * 1947 Summer Frost
    * 1947 Crown Princess
    * 1950 Beloved
    * 1950 Stradivari
    * 1950 Prophecy
    * 1953 Lilith
    * 1954 Summer Shower
    * 1954 Wind Song
    * 1955 Firelight
    * 1955 Odyssey
    * 1955 Christmas Angel
    * 1955 Guiding Star
    * 1955 Reprise
    * 1956 Added Attraction
    * 1956 Spring Fancy
    * 1956 Christmas Angel
    * 1956 Apassionata
    * 1957 Sybarite
    * 1957 Gay Suggestion
    * 1959 Golden Autumn
    * 1959 Sheer Madness
    * 1960 Beloved Moment
    * 1960 Sheer Madness
    * 1962 Avance
    * 1970 Cachet
    * 1975 Aviance
    * 1976 Wind Song Breezy
    * 1980 Chimere
    * 1982 Matchabelli
    * 1983 Aviance Night Musk
    * 1983 Cachet Noir
    * 1985 Decadence
    * 1988 Hero
    * 1989 Night Rythyms
    * 1990 Luna Mystique
    * 1997 Unruly
 

Author: Grace E. Hummel
(cleopatras_boudoir)
Fragrantica Member
 
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