01 A SCULPTURAL COLLABORATION, AT THE CROSSROADS OF EAST AND WEST
It is an exceptional encounter, of the kind only Guerlain can orchestrate. The meeting of two arts: French perfumery, to which the House offered so many masterpieces, and Arabic calligraphy, an age-old art reinvented by a young artist for the 21st century. Inspired by the fragrance, the young Tunisian calligraphy artist has imagined an adornment for the iconic Bee Bottle that is both poetic and spectacular, between sculpture and calligraphy.
02 INKMAN, FROM CALLIGRAFFITI TO SCULPTOR’S JEWELLERY
“Calligraphy is the language of the soul. We feel emotions before understanding the letters. It is a portal to a magical world.” Inkman’s artistic expression adopts a variety of methods that exalt calligraphy and geometric forms, from graffiti to canvas paintings to sculpture. The artist has forged a formal vocabulary that crosses the barriers of cultures and language: Inkman’s language is as universal and as emotional as perfume.
03 A BOLD, REGALLY ELEGANT PIECE OF JEWELLERY
For Guerlain, Inkman has created an artwork whose beauty is undeniable. This jeweller’s son, has dreamt up a decorative piece combining elements of sculpture and calligraphy, which he intends as an exceptional jewel; a visual poem that enhances the harmony of the fragrance and the bottle. The elegant lines that embrace the Bee Bottle trace sinuous designs drawn from Arabic writing. It features voluptuous shapes, graceful curves, a daring composition and the inimitable Guerlain ‘G’.
“I LOOKED ON THE BEE BOTTLE AS THE BODY OF A WOMAN THAT I WANTED TO DRESS WITH A UNIQUE PIECE OF ART.“
INKMAN, CALLIGRAFFITI ARTIST
04 A VIRTUOSIC PIECE CRAFTED BY THE ATELIERS GOOSSENS
To craft this exceptional piece, made to measure for each bottle, the House has called on the legendary Parisian jeweller Goossens, a symbol of French savoir-faire. In the hands of the master craftspeople of the Ateliers Goossens, each jewel is laser-cut and polished by hand. Then, the adornments are meticulously shaped by hand to embrace the curves of the majestic Bee Bottle. Four successive layers of metal cover the piece to sublimate it: the warm-hued copper, then noble white bronze and silvery nickel and finally, the precious glow of gold.
05 A MASTERPIECE OF METICULOUS AND REFINED CRAFTSMANSHIP
Each bottle thus becomes a unique, made-to-measure piece, a true masterpiece of goldsmithing. Adorned with these dazzling jewels, the Bee Bottles are then transported to the Ateliers Guerlain where the House’s fabled Dames de Table wind a fine golden thread around the neck of the bottle. Inkman for Guerlain is art in the service of art.
06 CELEBRATING THE SCENTS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN
An exclusive fragrance accompanies this exceptional creation: Le Songe de la Reine. The eau de parfum opens with the bright fruit of the Mediterranean sun -mandarin and bergamot- then reveals a heart note of refreshing, delicate fig, over a woody base of sandalwood and cedar notes. A sumptuous composition traced with bold strokes of noble materials, like a fragrant wind blowing from a Mediterranean garden to the lands of the Arabian Nights.
“IT IS A HIGHLY CONTRASTED FRAGRANCE THAT CONFRONTS THE FORCE AND SENSUALITY OF WOODS WITH THE VEGETAL VIBRATION OF FIG-TREE SAP.”
THIERRY WASSER, GUERLAIN MASTER PERFUMER
