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Please understand that this website is not affiliated with the Prince Matchabelli Company any way, it is only a reference page for collectors and those who have enjoyed the classic fragrances of days gone by.

The main objective of this website is to chronicle the history of the Prince Matchabelli fragrances and showcase the bottles and advertising used throughout the years.

However, one of the other goals of this website is to show the present owners of the Prince Matchabelli perfume company how much we miss the discontinued classics and hopefully, if they see that there is enough interest and demand, they will bring back these fragrances!

Please leave a comment below (for example: of why you liked the fragrance, describe the scent, time period or age you wore it, who gave it to you or what occasion, any specific memories, what it reminded you of, maybe a relative wore it, or you remembered seeing the bottle on their vanity table), who knows, perhaps someone from the current Prince Matchabelli brand might see it.

Also, this website is a labor of love, it is a work in progress and is always being updated with new information as I can find it, so check back often!

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Monday, May 20, 2013

Infanta by Prince Matchabelli c1937

Infanta by Prince Matchabelli: launched in 1937. The Prince Matchabelli Corp, held a cocktail party at the Hotel Pierre, New York, on November 4, 1937 to introduce their newest perfume, Infanta.





Inspired by Maria Theresa of Spain, born an Infanta of Spain at the Royal Monastery of El Escorial, she was the daughter of King Philip IV, and his wife Elisabeth of France, who died when Maria Theresa was six years old. As a member of the House of Habsburg, Maria Theresa was entitled to use the title Archduchess of Austria. She was Queen of France and Navarre as the first wife of King Louis XIV.

Famed for her virtue and piety, she was only barely able to fulfill her duty as queen by producing a male heir to the throne, since five of her six children died in early childhood. She is frequently viewed as an object of pity in historical accounts of her husband's reign, since she had no choice but to tolerate his many illicit love affairs.

Maria Theresa with Her son, the Dauphin, Louis of France, Pierre Mignard 1661



Fragrance Composition:


So what does it smell like? It was a heavy, sweet, spicy floral Oriental perfume with a dry, dusty, smoky base note.  I have no published notes on this composition. I would need a sample to tell you what it smells like. It was described as the following: heavy, sultry, dry, dusty, spicy, smoky.
  • Top notes: grape, iris, Calabrian bergamot, spices, lemon
  • Middle notes: carnation, rose, gardenia, jasmine, opoponax, labdanum
  • Base notes: patchouli, orris, vanilla, Abyssinian ambergris, Mysore sandalwood, East Indian vetiver, oakmoss, benzoin, leather


"Infanta is the name of the new perfume and it has been called by those who have tried it one of the most exciting, unusual perfumes of the year, 1937, Haunting romance, exotically ephemeral and exciting, tantalizing. Infanta in one of the most disturbing perfumes on the market "



Stage, 1937:
"MATCHABELLI— "Infanta", a heavy, exotic perfume, is the newest one here, and comes in a new type of crown bottle resting on a very royal-looking square white cushion."

Vogue, 1937:
"DISCOVERIES IN BEAUTY "Infanta." Prince Matchabelli's new and knowing perfume, is vividly beautiful. It comes in a new type of Matchabelli crown, round instead of oval, and rests regally on a cushion of royal-blue velvet."

Etude, 1937:
"Black as vivid to the sense of smell as it is to the sense of sight, Weil has created Noir perfume to be worn only with black! ... Prince Matchabelli's newest presentation "Infanta," is another example of the perfume trend toward the strange.."

Etude: The Music Magazine - Volume 56, 1938:
"INFANTA. Matchabelli also produces Infanta, equally regal with its deep and tantalizing atmosphere of mystery and flirtation from grilled balconies; of fans and flashing blades; of Spanish grandees strolling and strutting; of the pomp and medieval brilliance in the time when Spain was discovering and conquering the Americas. An imaginative, sultry, smoky odor, brought to life by the heavy sweetness of Spanish grapes and exotic gardens."

Harper's Bazaar, 1939:
"Prince Matchabelli's contribution to the Spanish influence— "Infanta" perfume and a make-up to go with this shade of red for November 1939."


Bottles:


Infanta was housed in the lovely crown shaped bottle as Simonetta, although they have different stoppers and the Simonetta bottle was painted black. It is a different type of crown than we normally associate with Prince Matchabelli. Two sizes of the bottle were used: 
  • 3/4 oz Parfum bottle stands 2.25" tall
  • 5/24 oz bottle stands 1.5" tall






The "Scepter" bottle was used to hold the Eau de Cologne. Two sizes were used:
  • 1 oz
  • 2 oz




Fate of Fragrance:


Discontinued, date unknown.

 





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