French iris concrete

Iris traveled from the Far East through Italy to the French royal court via an unlikely courier. Catherine de Medici brought iris rhizomes from Florence when she married the future King of France in 1533, planting them in the Loire Valley. The Florentine variety, with its pale purple flowers and particularly aromatic roots, had already graced the city for centuries as its official emblem.

Ancient Egyptians knew the value of aged orris root, preferring it for ceremonial purposes. Greek physicians used it for medicinal preparations. But it was the Italians who perfected cultivation and curing techniques, passing this knowledge to French perfumers in the 19th century. French craftsmen embraced iris essence, developing extraction methods that highlighted its soft, powdery qualities. By the 20th century, French iris had become the benchmark against which all other orris materials are measured. Today, the iris fields of Provence continue a tradition spanning five centuries, linking Renaissance Italy with modern perfumery through an ingredient whose history mirrors the story of Western fragrance itself.