The untold story of Marie Antoinette's perfumer, Jean-Louis Fargeon.

The untold story of Marie Antoinette's perfumer, Jean-Louis Fargeon. Montpellier, 1748: Jean-Louis Fargeon was born into a family of perfumers and soon became apprentice to his father's modest perfumery. But he dreamed of the glittering court of Versailles and of becoming perfumer to the young queen, Marie Antoinette. His ambition carried him to Paris where his boutique became one of the most elegant and well-patronised in France. Concocting sumptuous perfumes and pomades for most of the French nobility - the ingredients and procedures of which are listed in the book's appendices - Fargeon eventually caught the attention of the queen. After meeting Marie Antoinette in the Trianon Palace, he began creating lavish bespoke scents that perfectly reflected her moods and personality. Through Fargeon's relations with the royal court, where he spent fourteen years as the queen's personal and exclusive perfumer, the reader is granted privileged access to the world of Marie Antoinette. A Scented Palace is a unique perspective on her life including her fascination with dress and fashions - a fascination that was to contribute to her downfall. Fargeon's story touches on many aspects of life in eighteenth-century France, from the development of a bourgeois family and career, to how the suffering of hungry Parisians led to revolt, to in-depth information on the development of the cosmetics and perfume industry and its relation to scientific development during the Enlightenment. The descriptions of Parisian society and commerce provide a window into the ways of life during this turbulent chapter of France's history.

"An entrancing biography." - Elle

"A subtly distilled life. Fargeon’s impressions of Marie Antoinette are particularly compelling." - New Yorker

"Rhapsodic and piquant… full of information." - New York Review of Books

"The book’s heroes are Marie Antoinette, perfume and Fargeon in that order, but what emerges is a powerful evocation of a lost world." - The Times

"Learning about Fargeon’s relationship with the Queen and about the fragrances that he compounded is particularly relevant for me. It is also fascinating to read about the ingredients, many of which are used to this day." - Vanity Fair

"De Feydeau’s descriptions of Versailles Palace’s obsessions with coiffure, fashion, perfume and cosmetics are alluring." - Daily Telegraph

"De Feydeau’s lively account gives the reader an additional twist on the life and times of Marie Antoinette and her influence on two of France’s continuing major industries – fashion and scent." - Washington Post

"Interesting and well-written." - French Magazine