In the context of its fragrance, Tillia Microphilla is a floral oriental that captures the airy, softly sweet aroma of linden blossoms, evoking a sense of comfort and tranquility. The scent likely opens with bright, green facets reminiscent of tender leaves, mingling with a delicate floral heart that recalls honeyed and slightly powdery blooms. Women of the period, living amidst the grandeur of mid-19th-century Parisian salons, would have appreciated the perfume’s understated elegance and the way it suggested both cultivation and natural beauty. Its scent can be imagined as a tender caress: fresh yet warm, softly floral with hints of honey and gentle sweetness that evoke sunlit afternoons in a private garden.
The mid-19th century in which Tillia Microphilla was launched was a period of refinement and innovation in perfumery, with aristocratic women seeking fragrances that demonstrated sophistication and good taste without overpowering the senses. The perfume’s subtle floral oriental character placed it among the more elegant, nuanced creations of the time, balancing natural linden blossom aroma with hints of resins, balsams, and musks often found in oriental compositions. In a market dominated by heavier, musk- and amber-rich scents, Tillia Microphilla would have stood out for its delicate elegance and light, airy interpretation of floral oriental, offering a quiet, refined statement rather than overt opulence. It was a fragrance for the woman who appreciated subtlety, scientific curiosity, and the beauty of nature distilled into the art of perfumery, encapsulating the 19th-century pursuit of luxury, culture, and understated refinement.
Jardin d’Hiver Collection:
Guerlain’s Jardin d’Hiver Collection, launched in 1848, represents a remarkable celebration of botanical singularity and refined artistry. Each fragrance within the collection is devoted to a single floral or plant note, captured with painstaking care to highlight its unique character and essence. The collection’s Latin-styled names—Tilia microphylla, Lathyrus odorans, Mimosa fragrans, Cyperus ruber, and the most recent addition (1853), Mimosa Esterhazya—lend an air of classical sophistication, evoking the scholarly prestige and aristocratic refinement associated with the study of plants and natural sciences. These names, both precise and exotic, signal the high level of craft and attention devoted to each fragrance, appealing to a clientele who valued knowledge, taste, and exclusivity.
At the 1851 Universal Exposition, these perfumes competed not merely as products of luxury, but as demonstrations of technical mastery and artistic innovation. Each extrait is a distillation of a single botanical note, conveying the essence of the plant in a way that is at once vivid, nuanced, and enduring. Tilia microphylla, for instance, would have unfolded with the delicate, honeyed softness of its linden blossoms, while Mimosa fragrans exudes a sunlit, powdery warmth, evocative of early spring mornings. Cyperus ruber, with its earthy, subtly green facets, contrasts with the intensely floral sweetness of Lathyrus odorans, creating a spectrum of olfactory experiences within a unified concept.
The collection was designed for the highest echelons of society, intended for women who were not merely consumers of fragrance but arbiters of taste and refinement. These perfumes were not relegated to the dressing table as casual adornments; they were worn as statements of identity and prestige, perfuming the air with subtlety and elegance. In essence, the Jardin d’Hiver Collection embodies the aristocratic ethos of mid-19th century Paris—a union of botanical scholarship, artistic sophistication, and the cultivated elegance expected of the queens of fashion and fortune. Each fragrance is an intimate portrait of a singular flower, captured with the utmost care, and presented as a jewel of olfactory refinement.
Fragrance Composition:
So what does it smell like? It is classified as a floral oriental fragrance for women.
- Top notes: bergamot, lemon, petitgrain, cassie, anise aldehyde, blue chamomile, linden blossom, linaloe
- Middle notes: jonquil, heliotropin, hyacinthine, jasmine, African geranium, geranyl formate, clove
- Base notes: terpineol, musk, musk ketone, Bourbon vanilla, vanillin, benzoin, civet, ambrette, ambergris, coumarin
Scent Profile:
Tillia Microphilla unfolds as a floral oriental of rare refinement, capturing the nuanced elegance of mid-19th-century French perfumery. At first breath, the top notes reveal a sparkling citrus heart: Italian bergamot and sunny Sicilian lemon open the fragrance with a bright, zesty clarity, their essential oils rich in limonene and linalyl acetate, lending freshness and a slightly green nuance. Petitgrain, distilled from the tender leaves and twigs of the bitter orange tree, adds an herbaceous, subtly woody layer, contrasting with the powdery sweetness of cassie, a delicate acacia-derived note that brings a light, honeyed floral nuance.
The airy, herbal facets are heightened by anise aldehyde, providing a soft, licorice-like brightness that teases the senses, while blue chamomile, known for its origin in Egypt and unique azulene content, gives a gentle, sweet-woody calmness. Linden blossom—Tilia microphilla itself—emerges with its honeyed, floral elegance, subtly enhanced by linaloe’s soft, balsamic-wooded aroma, rounding the opening with a refined warmth.
The heart of the fragrance is a complex, opulent floral bouquet. Jonquil and jasmine create a creamy, intoxicating floral richness, with their natural coumarin and indole compounds offering both warmth and sensuality. Heliotropin (synthetic), with its characteristic almond-vanilla facet, amplifies the soft powdery sweetness of the floral heart, echoing the natural warmth of the flowers. Hyacinthine adds a watery freshness, reminiscent of early spring blooms, balancing the creaminess. African geranium, prized for its particularly rosy and slightly green nuance, is heightened by geranyl formate, which enhances its fruity-floral vibrancy. Clove contributes a subtle spicy warmth, with eugenol lending a natural piquancy that harmonizes with the floral opulence.
As the perfume dries, the base notes unfold with a rich oriental depth. Terpineol offers a soft, lilac-like warmth that bridges the heart to the foundation of musks—natural, ambrette, and synthetic musk ketone—which provide a velvety, enveloping sensuality. Bourbon vanilla and vanillin contribute creamy sweetness, perfectly complementing the balsamic richness of benzoin and tolu balsam. Civet and ambergris, long treasured in 19th-century perfumery, give an animalic warmth that is both subtle and compelling, while coumarin and tonka-like facets evoke a powdered, slightly nutty creaminess. The overall effect is an elegant floral oriental that is both fresh and deeply sensual, harmoniously balancing bright citrus and delicate florals with opulent, resinous, and musky depths—a fragrance that would have epitomized refinement, sophistication, and the delicate power of 19th-century haute parfumerie.
Bottle:
Presented in the carre flacon.
Petit courrier des dames: Journal des modes, 1848:
"By creating the Château des Fleurs, inventing the Jardin d’Hiver, and making flowers fashionable in all the salons of Paris, the trend of perfumery simultaneously returned—after having been somewhat neglected due to the overuse of amber, musk, and vetiver. Yet the perfumes that reappear today bear no resemblance to those bourgeois emanations of old-fashioned coquetry. At Guerlain, 11 Rue de la Paix, however, belongs the right to this thoroughly modern renewal, offering compositions more delicate, more suave, more gentle on the nerves, and more voluptuous to the sense of smell than any other.Ladies of good society are recognized by these perfumes, just as the high lineage of noble families is recognized by their coats of arms; and when a lock of hair flutters near you, when a magnificent handkerchief falls beside you, or when a fresh, coquettish glove happens to brush near your lips, you can judge by the fragrance emanating from that hair, that handkerchief, or those gloves whether the woman to whom they belong has received at Guerlain the mark of good taste, fashion, and refinement.New odors composed by Guerlain:
- Extrait de Lolium agriphyllum
- Extrait de Phlomis asplenia,
- Extrait d'Azalea melaleuca
- Extrait de Cyparisse Elaidon
- Extrait d'Hyemalis anthelia
- Extrait de Cytise sylvaria
- Extrait d'Anthemia nobilis
- Extrait de Cyperus ruber
- Extrait de Tilia micropluilla
- Extrait d'Hymenaea nitida
- Extrait de Mimosa fragrans
- Extrait de Caryophilus album
- Extrait d'Amyris Polyolens
- Extrait de Polyanthe suaveolens
- Extrait de Lathyrus odorans
- Extrait d'Ocymum dulce
By bringing to light these entirely new perfumes, Guerlain points out that they can only be found at home, and recommends to be on guard against the imitations that one will try to make."
