Abstract
As several historians, including Alain Corbin, have noted, a new sensitivity to odors emerged in the 18th century that increased people’s negative responses to strong smells and heightened the demand for fragrances that were not only pleasant but also light and subtle. Some scholars see this period as a true “olfactory revolution.” How was this expressed in the salon, perceived both as a luxurious space and a site of elite sociability? This focus on the smell of varnish aims to illustrate how the scent of materials intertwined with the pleasures of decorative arts, both in the entire space of the salon and in relation to the small objects handled within it. Since varnished objects and décor were simultaneously fashionable, highly desirable items and sources of olfactory nuisance, they present an intriguing case study to highlight the paradoxes and complexities of the olfactory culture of the period.
Keywords
smell, varnish, perfume, toxicity, paint, olfaction, decorative arts
Recommended Citation
Wicky, Érika
(2024)
"Toxic Varnishes: Perfumes, Stench, and Glow in Eighteenth-century French Salons,"
ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640-1830: Vol.14: Iss.2, Article 2.
http://doi.org/10.5038/2157-7129.14.2.1411
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/abo/vol14/iss2/2
Fig. 2 - 58030.png (2452 kB)
Fig. 4 - 57965.png (6060 kB)
Fig. 5 - Barbe.jpg (1415 kB)
Fig. 6 - 1916.356.b_print.jpg (1722 kB)
Fig. 7 - image_girl-in-a-swing_manufacture_de_charles_gouyn_etui_a_flacon_e_j_600_2025592.jpg (350 kB)
Fig. 8 - Brûle-parfums.jpg (2419 kB)
Fig. 9 - BK-2017-72.jpg (4605 kB)
Fig. 10 -bpt6k3286051_f13.jpg (2000 kB)
Included in
Art and Materials Conservation Commons, European History Commons, French and Francophone Literature Commons, History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons, Women's Studies Commons
