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Très rare plaquette de Farina présentant son "Eau de Cologne"
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[EAU DE COLOGNE]. FARINA (Jean-Marie)
Précis sur les propriétés médicales de l'Eau de Cologne, de Jean-Marie Farina, Ancien Distillateur de Cologne, demeurant rue Saint-Honoré, n° 333, à Paris
[A la fin : Epernay, Imp. de Warin-Thierry, (vers 1826)]
petit in-12 de 24 pp. avec simple titre de départ, cart. papier bleu marbré [Rel. du XIXe siècle], un peu frottée, qq. rouss. et rép. marg
1 650,00 Euros
Précieuse plaquette de Jean-Marie Farina vantant les mérites de son "Eau de Cologne".
Après le texte décrivant les bienfaits de la célèbre lotion et donnant des conseils pour son administration, on trouve des "Extraits des lettres approbatives" envoyées à l'auteur "par MM. les Docteurs en médecine", ainsi qu'un extrait du jugement du Tribunal de commerce de Paris (21 février 1825) condamnant un contrefacteur du produit dont Farina détenait les droits : le parfumeur Guelaud, demeurant rue de la... Grande-Truanderie (ça ne s'invente pas).
Très rare, comme tous les tirages de cette curieuse brochure.
Farina s'y présente comme un descendant et héritier de Féminis, l'inventeur de l'eau dite de Cologne. "At the end of the seventeenth or the early part of the eighteenth century, an Italian by the name of Paul Feminis, doing business in the town of Cologne, brought forward a new and fragrant mixture which, according to some of the perfume historians, became the sensation of the day. L'eau admirable, as this new product came to be called, was based primarily on Italian citrus oils, néroli, lemon, bergamot, with some lavender. It differed radically from the Hungary waters of its day, insofar as it was not built up around a single floral note but was a bouquet giving an effect that was a departure from natural odors. About one hundred years later, the historians tell us, a descendant of Feminis, Jean Marie Farina, made some modifications and modernizations in the formula and put out his product under the name of Eau de Cologne". Cf. Sagarin, The science and art of perfumry, p. 13.
L'Eau de Cologne fut aussitôt imitée, copiée, contrefaite. "The stalwart Jean-Marie Farina did legal battle with his competitors. His own product made use of the finest grape spirit and required aging for a full year ; much was at stake, but his name was succesfully defended. Jean-Marie finally retired to Italy (...) and the formula was sold to Léonce Collas, who found that he too had to continue the defense of his formula. In 1862, Collas sold the original formula to the firm of Roger et Gallet, which today has rightful claim to the Parisian Eau de Cologne". Cf. Morris, Fragrance, p. 172
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