Katrina Rosales
King Louis XV, also known as Louis the Beloved, was 5 years old when he inherited the throne of France from his great-grandfather, Louis XIV, in 1715. Standing at 5'4 ,Louis XIV was known for his love of perfume and opulence, earning his court the nickname the Perfumed Court. This fascination with fragrances continued under his successor, Louis XV, when perfume and perfumed products were in higher demand than ever.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of King | Louis XIV (Louis the Fourteenth) |
| Reign | 72 years and 110 days |
| Height | 5'4" (1.63m) |
| Nickname | le doux fleurant (the sweet flowery one) |
| Court | Known as "the Perfumed Court" |
| Reason | Fear of water and bathing |
| Perfumes | Used for medicine, aesthetics, and to indicate wealth |
| Perfumed Products | Flowers, furniture, fountains, clothing |
| Perfumers | Jean-Louis Fargeon, Giovanni Maria Farina |
| Perfumes for Royalty | Aqua Angeli, Aqua Mirabilis, Eau de Cologne, Jardin Secret, Sillage de la Reine, The Queen's Bouquet |
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What You'll Learn
Louis XIV's fear of bathing
King Louis XIV, also known as Louis the Fourteenth, was the ruler of France for 72 years. He was born on September 5, 1638, and died on September 1, 1715, at the age of 76. During his reign, he was nicknamed "le doux fleurant", or "the sweet flowery one", due to his fascination with fragrances, which he used for both medicinal and aesthetic reasons.
Despite his love of perfume, Louis XIV was terrified of bathing. It is said that he only took three baths during his entire life. This fear of water was not uncommon among the nobility in the 17th century. It was believed that water spread disease, and therefore, avoiding bathing would reduce the risk of illness. To compensate for the lack of bathing, Louis XIV relied on perfumes to mask any unpleasant odours. He disinfected his skin with alcohol and spirits, frequently changed his clothes, and heavily perfumed his outfits.
The French court during Louis XIV's reign became known as "the Perfumed Court" due to the heavy use of fragrances. The Palace of Versailles was filled with fragrant flowers, perfumed furniture, and scented fountains. Louis XIV even commissioned his perfumer to create a unique scent for each day of the week. He favoured a scent called "Aqua Angeli", made from aloes-wood, nutmeg, storax, cloves, and benzoin, boiled in rose water.
In addition to his fear of bathing, Louis XIV was known for his elaborate wigs and high-heeled shoes, which added to his commanding presence as France's powerful ruler. With his towering wigs and heels, he could appear nearly seven feet tall.
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Use of perfume to mask body odour
The French court became known as "The Perfumed Court" during the reign of Louis XIV, owing to his fascination with perfumes, which he used for both medicinal and aesthetic reasons. The king wore perfumes with original scents that appealed to women, and his nobles followed suit.
Louis XIV was terrified of bathing and is said to have taken only three baths in his life. At the time, it was believed that water spread diseases, so people avoided bathing to stay healthy. However, to avoid unpleasant body odours, Louis XIV and his nobles favoured perfume over bathing. The king wore strong fragrances based on civet or musk to camouflage body odours. He also sprinkled perfumes on his wigs, clothes, apartments, and furniture.
The king's passion for perfume may have had physical repercussions. As the duc de Saint-Simon reported: “Never had a man loved odors so much yet feared them more, due to having used them to the point of excess.” By the end of his life, the king had developed terrible allergies, which his love for perfume may have contributed to.
Under Louis XIV's successor, his great-grandson Louis XV, perfume and perfumed products were in higher demand than ever. The king's most famous mistress, the marquise de Pompadour, was a supporter of perfumers, and her yearly budget for scent alone was 500 livres (approximately $63,500 USD in today’s currency). The French court remained a "Perfumed Court" during Louis XV's reign, with nobles continuing to use perfumes to mask body odours and for other purposes.
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Perfume as a status symbol
Louis XIV, also known as "the Sun King", was terrified of bathing, sharing the belief of the 17th-century French nobility that water spread disease. To compensate for the lack of hygiene, he turned to perfume, commissioning his perfumer to create a new scent for each day of the week. He wore heavy scents as a young man, including a chocolate-inspired fragrance, and insisted on having his shirts perfumed with "Aqua Angeli", composed of aloes-wood, nutmeg, storax, cloves, and benzoin, boiled in rose water. He also arranged for a pavilion in blue and white to be built at Versailles for love-making, so that between amorous moments he could fill his lungs with the scent of stocks, tuberose, and white jasmine.
Louis XIV's court followed him to Versailles, and the palace became home to many noblemen, ministers, and ambassadors. The French court became known as "the Perfumed Court" due to the widespread use of perfume. Bowls filled with flower petals were placed throughout the palace to sweeten the air, and perfume was sprayed onto furniture and even the fountains. Perfume was expensive and served as a sign of luxury and wealth. The king's courtiers did not shy away from fragrances either. The distinctive scent of musk could still be found in Madame de Pompadour's chamber curtains 20 years after she left. The Prince de Condé even helped the king's perfumer, Martial, with scenting the king's tobacco.
Under Louis XIV's successor and great-grandson, Louis XV, perfume and perfumed products were in higher demand than ever, with the king's mistress, Marquise de Pompadour, leading the perfume trend. She is said to have spent almost a million francs on perfumes in a single year. During this time, perfume had become the main item in noble households.
The craze for perfume continued under Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, who was known for her fashionable taste. She had a fragrance just for her, made by perfumer Jean-Louis Fargeon, inspired by the surrounding nature of the Petit Trianon, her favourite getaway in the gardens of Versailles. Marie Antoinette bathed every day, marking a shift in the purpose of perfume, from a means to stay clean to an art form.
Perfume was not only a status symbol but also a potential danger. During the infamous Affair of the Poisons, perfume was often used to either disguise poison or as a poison itself.
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Marie Antoinette's fragrances
King Louis XIV, also known as "the Sun King", was terrified of bathing and is said to have taken only three baths in his entire life. In the 17th century, it was believed that water spread disease. However, the French court during his reign became known as "the Perfumed Court". Louis XIV wore heavily perfumed clothing and even had his palace sprayed with perfume. He also wore high heels and elaborate wigs to enhance his presence, which made him appear nearly 7 feet tall.
Perfumes were used for both medicinal and aesthetic purposes during this time. One source states that the French queen, Marie Antoinette, had a fragrance made just for her by perfumer Jean-Louis Fargeon. It was inspired by the nature surrounding the Petit Trianon, her favourite getaway in the gardens of Versailles. The perfume was called Trianon and was made from roses, violets, carnations, orange blossom, lavender, essential oils of citron, bergamot, and tuberose. Marie Antoinette was a trendsetter with sky-high coiffures and daring gowns. She was known for her love of flowers and light, floral perfumes. She was rarely seen without her perfume, Trianon essence, which was found among her belongings after the tragedy at Varennes.
The Palace of Versailles and Guerlain partnered in 2016 to create a limited-edition perfume called "The Queen's Bouquet", inspired by the gardens of Versailles and Trianon.
- Jojoba oil
- Parfum
- Alpha-Amylcinnamic aldehyde
- Benzyl benzoate
- Benzyl salicylate
- Cinnamaldehyde
- Dl-Citronellol
- Eugenol
- Geraniol
- Hydroxycitronellal
- Isoeugenol
- D-Limonene
- Linalool
- Lilial
- Cinnamyl alcohol
- Alpha-Hexylcinnamaldehyde
- Hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde
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The Sun King's towering image
Louis XIV, also known as "The Sun King", was a towering figure in French history, both literally and metaphorically. He was only 5'4" (1.63m) tall, but he wore high-heeled shoes and elaborate wigs that made him appear nearly 7 feet tall. This reinforced his commanding image as France's most powerful ruler. During his 72-year reign, he transformed the Palace of Versailles from a modest hunting lodge into a grand royal residence, where he centralised political power and controlled the nobility by forcing them to compete for his favour.
Louis XIV was fascinated by perfumes, which he used for both medicinal and aesthetic reasons. He was nicknamed "le doux fleurant", or "the sweet flowery one". He was terrified of bathing, as it was believed at the time that water spread disease. To compensate, he used perfumes extensively, even rinsing his shirts in them. He also had a different scent fill his room each day and wore heavily perfumed outfits to mask any unpleasant odours.
The use of perfume was widespread during Louis XIV's reign, and his court became known as "the Perfumed Court" (le cour parfumée). Bowls filled with flower petals were placed throughout the palace to sweeten the air, and perfume was sprayed on furniture and even the fountains. The king's mistress, Madame de Montespan, also used heavy amounts of perfume because she could not stand the smell of her royal lover.
Louis XIV's successor and great-grandson, Louis XV, continued the trend of perfume and perfumed products at the court. Louis XV's mistress, Marquise de Pompadour, is said to have spent almost a million francs on perfumes in a single year. The court of Louis XV was also known for its extravagance, with courtiers such as the Countess de Saint-Hermine hoarding perfumed garters and the abbe d’Osmond going bankrupt for his love of violet powder.
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Frequently asked questions
Louis XIV was 5'4" (1.63m) tall. However, he wore high-heeled shoes and elaborate wigs, which made him appear much taller.
The French nobility in the 17th century rarely bathed as they believed that water spread disease. To mask any unpleasant odours, they relied on perfume. Under the reign of Louis XIV, the use of perfume became even more prominent, with the king himself being nicknamed "le doux fleurant" (the sweet flowery one). The French court during his reign became known as "the Perfumed Court".
After Louis XIV, his great-grandson Louis XV continued the trend of using perfumes at court. During his reign, his mistress, Marquise de Pompadour, was at the helm of the perfume trend. Following Louis XV, the trend continued under King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette, who was known for her love of perfumes and fashionable taste.
