A journey through the history of perfume in Venice

Entitled "Journey through the History of Perfume. Collezione Storp" the exhibition produced by Mavive Parfums and Zignago Vetro with the support of Givaudan, in collaboration with the Department of Cultural Heritage, Archaeology, History of Art, Cinema and Music of the University of Padua, which will be held until 30 November at the Museo di Palazzo Mocenigo - Centro studi di Storia del tessuto, del costume e del profumo, headquarters of the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia. Over five hundred bottles retrace more than six thousand years of olfactory culture. The original exhibits are flanked by the contemporary reconstruction of seven historical fragrances created from the original formulas by the Givaudan perfume house. The curatorial itinerary in the Portego unfolds in different chronological sections divided into thirty-two exhibition modules ranging from Ancient Egypt to industrial modernity. The common thread linking the entire exhibition is a specific message: "perfume may fade, but the bottle preserves its memory".

"My dream was to create an exhibition timeline covering more than six thousand years of the history of perfume to show that cosmetics have always been at the centre of men's and women's lives. We have succeeded thanks to the extraordinary Storp collection and the indispensable collaboration with the Fondazione Musei Civici," explains Marco Vidal, CEO of Mavive. "This allows us to affirm that perfumery is a cultural and anthropological fact as well as an increasingly important sector for the economy of Italy and Europe.

Biagio Costantini, CEO of Zignago Vetro, adds: "In this project, the millennial history of perfume is intertwined with that of its container, glass, which has always been the material par excellence for preserving fragrances. It is fascinating to see how glass, from its origins in antiquity to modern production, continues to tell a story of innovation and beauty, showing the evolution of our relationship with perfume through the centuries. In this exhibition, art meets industry that proves capable of shaping creativity and beauty".

For the Fondazione Musei Civici, the section dedicated to the history of perfume is a further opportunity to recount the intense bond between the invisible accessory - perfume - and the aesthetic virtuosity of the skilled hands that over the centuries have created the caskets of these precious essences, as Chiara Squarcina, scientific director of the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia, puts it: "Today we read history through these incredible creations, a reflection of different contexts and the result of countless artistic, social and economic influences. An occasion, therefore, to admire the precious specimens of the Storp collection, which we thank for their generous concession".

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