Bringing together exceptional savoir-faire, the House of Guerlain, in collaboration with the Haute-Couture embroidery atelier Baqué Molinié, reinvents its signature bottle in a limited and numbered piece of Métier d'Art, of rare uniqueness. For the celebration of the first Eid, the dome of the famous Bee Bottle is enhanced with a truly refined masterpiece, an entirely hand-embroidered adornment of mother-of-pearl beads and moonstones of dazzling white, designed by the Parisian atelier as a tribute to the wonders of Arab architectural art.
Founded in 2018 by Laetitia Baqué and Victor Molinié, Baqué Molinié has established itself as a French art studio specialising in textile design and embroidery, and collaborates with the most prestigious French Haute Couture houses. This duo of creators creates real embroidered jewels, keeping traditional savoir-faire alive in which radiance vies with the most complex techniques.
Inspired by the aerial architecture of the cupola of the Alhambra, the ornament designed by Baqué Molinié for the Bee Bottle combines rigorous savoir-faire and exceptional embroidery techniques. Mother-of-pearl and glass beads, chains of faceted gilt beads, moonstone cabochons and white imitation mother-of-pearl sequins intertwine harmoniously on silk organza collars. The elegant motifs, embroidered with a needle and gloving thread, are reminiscent of honeycomb-shaped embedded prisms,inspired by the famous muqarnas ceilings.
Entirely hand-painted with the greatest care, each piece is the result of exceptional know-how. Nothing was left to chance in this high-precision exercise. Countless hours were spent selecting the six colours that corresponded as closely as possible to the palette of the painting «La Musique», then refining their mattness and depth. All the motifs are painted with a brush, with the greatest attention to detail.
Embodying a particularly rich symbolism in the Middle East, the pearl finds its place at the heart of ancient legends and lyric poems,where it often serves as a metaphor for the sublime and the priceless. This jewel of the sea is attributed qualities of purity, flawless beauty, wisdom and femininity. Since antiquity, the lustrous sphere, whose rarity and beauty have always made it a symbol of luxury, prosperity, and nobility, has been regarded as a natural treasure emanating notably from the Persian Gulf.
“WE WANTED TO DECORATE THE DOME OF THE BOTTLE WITH A RADIANT MOTHER-OF-PEARL ADORNMENT TO SHOW OFF ITS VOLUPTUOUS CURVES. THE ESSENCE OF OUR VISION IS DRAWN FROM THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE CUPOLA OF THE ALHAMBRA, A SUBLIME EVOCATION OF TIME-HONOURED ARABIC CRAFTSMANSHIP.”
Laetitia Baqué and Victor Molinié
This masterpiece houses the exclusive trail Perle Impériale, in its perfume extract version, the most rich and luxurious of concentrations. This olfactory work of art opens with luminous bergamot before revealing in its heart a luscious and enchanting fig accord that unfurls with the sensuality of a pearl. This powdery trail then awakens the spirit of the Orient, embodied by a woody sandalwood base, enhanced by myrrh and leathery notes.