For Christmas 2009, Guerlain unveiled an extraordinary collector’s piece that celebrated the timeless legacy of Shalimar—a perfume that has come to embody sensuality and refinement for nearly a century. Entitled “Naissance Shalimar Guerlain,” this breathtaking creation was designed by the renowned French sculptor Serge Mansau, whose visionary approach to perfume presentation transformed flacons into art. Mansau’s concept was to represent the birth of Shalimar itself—an olfactory legend brought to life through a sculptural narrative of transformation and revelation.
The composition features five Baccarat crystal flacons, all vintage and originally produced in the 1930s, displayed within a transparent Plexiglas slab that measures 38.5 cm in length and 15 cm in height. Four of these exquisite flacons, empty and suspended within the clear structure, seem to emerge gradually from the acrylic—each bottle revealing a little more of its shape than the one before it, symbolizing the progressive “awakening” or evolution of Shalimar. The fifth and final bottle, a 20 ml flacon filled with freshly made parfum extrait, stands free at the front—its rich golden liquid glowing like a living heart at the center of the composition.
The interplay between the crystal and the Plexiglas evokes a sense of time suspended, of fragrance crystallized in motion. The Baccarat bottles, with their sensual curves and the familiar fan-shaped stoppers, are reminders of Shalimar’s Art Deco heritage and Guerlain’s long partnership with the famed French glassmaker. The contrast between the solid, modern Plexiglas and the delicate, hand-blown vintage crystal mirrors the meeting of eras—1930s elegance reinterpreted through the lens of contemporary artistry.
Mansau’s sculpture captures more than beauty; it tells a story. The gradual emergence of the flacons suggests not only the “birth” of the perfume but also the rebirth of Shalimar through the generations—its formula reimagined, its bottle reinvented, yet its soul eternally the same. Only 19 sets of this extraordinary piece were ever produced, making it one of the most exclusive and conceptually profound Shalimar editions in Guerlain’s history.
The “Naissance Shalimar” stands as both an homage and a meditation—an exploration of the life of a perfume, from inspiration to immortality, captured in glass and light. It is at once sculpture, perfume, and time capsule: a moment of Shalimar’s eternal story made tangible.
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