Collage In Fieri Palissandro via the brand and stock image by Michelyn
“But he who dares not grasp the thorn
Should never crave the rose.” ~ Anne Bronte
The lily has a smooth stalk,
Will never hurt your hand;
But the rose upon her brier
Is lady of the land.
There’s sweetness in an apple tree,
And profit in the corn;
But lady of all beauty
Is a rose upon a thorn. ~ Christina Rossetti, The Rose
Maria Teresa Venezia courtesy of Maria Teresa Venezia
“Dusting my rosewood sculptures in the dark attic, they still smell lovely and elegant. Their shadows dance with the night lights while the cembalo is playing. The wallpaper is old, but it is the perfect canvas for all our daily thoughts. It’s almost time to leave, I need to wake up soon. After all this rain, I’m sure spring will be beautiful.” ~ Maria Teresa Venezia of In Fieri Palissandro.
There may not be many readers who would recognize that cembalo is a shortening of clavicembalo – mid 19th C. Italian for harpsichord, for example – derived from medieval Latin clavicymbalum. The form of lucid dreaming described here calls to mind the universal fairy tale of Briar Rose – otherwise known as Sleeping Beauty, La Belle au Bois Dormant, or Dornröschen, in which an infant princess is cursed by a resentful fairy (she was excluded from the celebration of the long-awaited princess’ birth) to sleep for 100 years before being awakened by a courageous and handsome prince. Because In Fieri Palissandro embodies, for me – this legendary account – I will explore the perfume through the time-honored lens of myth.
The Briar Rose by Edward Burne-Jones
No one may accurately address oral history, as stories are passed from lips to ears and lips again over the passage of time – but the earliest recorded attempts to commit the story of Briar Rose to paper hearken back to the Middle Ages. Perceforest, written between 1330 and 1344, was the first chivalric romance of which we aware, followed closely by a Catalan poem, Frayre de Joy e Sor de Paser (Brother of Joy and Sister of Pleasure). The beloved author Charles Perrault adapted it and published it in his renowned Histoires ou Contes du Temps Passé in 1697 – which was then retold as Dornröschen (Little Thorn Rose) by the Brothers Grimm in their 1812 publication of fairy tales (which they gathered from many countries). Thus beauty, jealousy, revenge, and the triumph of good over evil remains an ever-present theme. The thorniness of Palissandro resembles the waging of discord between opposing factions: therein lies its strength and mystery, as contrast between olfactory references helps foster a certain fascination.
via unsplash
In Fiere Palissandro is a very potent, if somewhat linear libation. I smell the metallic singularity of blood spilled in the efforts to reach beyond a thorny thicket of rose spines to where the dormant princess lies – perhaps interpreted as rose oxides. It resembles blood upon steel. The roses themselves are portrayed from several angles: mineralic, taut, herbal/floral (geranium), dusty and loamy (patchouli) – both blooming and long-neglected. One is overcome by tender melancholy, a secret sorrow long held in the bosom away from prying eyes (not unlike the princess). It feels intuitive that the rose is surrounded by woods – and the presence of haunting musks serves to intensify this impression. There is a lingering sense of expectancy which prevails throughout the perfume. Despite its reference to palisander, aka rosewood – this is not my first impression. Palissandro is an abstract fragrance, not a strictly representational one – an amalgam of unearthly memory.
“Some of the most beautiful things worth having in your life come wrapped in a crown of thorns.” ~ Shannon L. Alder
While In Fieri Palissandro may not be to everyone’s taste, it will most certainly be appreciated by those who crave an edgy and creative scent which packs a lot of punch and possesses extraordinary longevity. One drop suffices, so measured application is a virtue, as it will fill a room unless you are discreet. Palissandro is mood music for the daring. Listed Notes: rose, woods, musk; Perceived notes (geranium), (patchouli)
In Fieri Palissandro courtesy of the brand
Thanks to the generosity of Maria Teresa Venezia of In Fieri we have a 30 ml bottlle of In Fieri Palissandro for one registered reader in the US. You must register or your entry will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what sparks your interest about Ida’s review of In Fieri Palissandro. Giveaway ends 6/111/2023
Please read Senior Contributor Rachel Watson’s review of In Fieri Park of the Monsters (a finalist in 2022 Art and Olfaction awards) here, and her review of Ceremony (2023 Art and Olfaction Honorable Mention) here; and Senior Editor Lauryn Beer’s review of The Jetty here.
Maria Teresa Venezia is the 165th in our American Perfumer Series you can read about her path to perfumery here.
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