Guerlain Honors Henri Matisse With $17K Perfume Bottle Crafted With His Family

In an ultra-luxurious collaboration between French cosmetics label Guerlain and Maison Matisse, as well as Henri Matisse’s great-grandson, 14 lucky people will get to own a limited-edition perfume bottle—worth an astonishing US$17,000—that pays homage to the famed painter. 

The design centers on Guerlain’s iconic Bee Bottle, which was first created in 1853 when master glassmaker Pochet du Courval combined the French empire’s emblem with a bottle for Empress Eugénie’s marriage to Napoleon III. 

Now, for this special edition, the famed bottle takes on a colorful look inspired by Henri Matisse’s La Musique (1939), a painting depicting two seated women, one strumming a guitar, in the shade of a large philodendron behind them. 

For the limited-edition release, each flacon, including its stopper, is hand-painted by decorative painter Astrid de Chaillé, who previously worked on restoring the Palace of Versailles and other high-profile historic locations. 

The colorful bottles will be filled with a special fragrance composed by Guerlain Perfumers—Couleur Bonhear—a fruity scent with notes that are just as sunny and bright as the hues on the bottle.  

Taking the bold colors and shapes from La Musique, de Chaillé created 14 of these one-liter Bee Bottles, each of which will be packaged in a wooden case in tribute of the crates often used for transporting art. 

Jean-Mathieu Matisse, founder of Maison Matisse and great-grandson of the artist, says there are many “coherent connections” between his grandfather’s art and the artistry of Guerlain’s perfumes. 

Explaining that Matisse has “become synonymous with happiness,” Jean-Matthieu feels the creations within this launch will “evoke the same energy, daring, and warmth” as his grandfather’s work. 

[via Artnet News and Guerlain, images via Guerlain]