Leon Leyritz, a sculptor whose works grace the Paris Opera House, created a statuette of Janus, the Roman god with two faces to hold Bal a Versailles parfum in 1969.
Bottle:
In 1969, Jean Desprez decided to introduce a limited edition flacon for Bal a Versailles. Suzanne Wolfe, the company's Paris attorney at the time said that Desprez got most of his inspirations from looking at priceless art works while roaming the vast halls, galleries and gardens of the Palace of Versailles, something he did every autumn. Wolfe explained that when Desprez sees something he likes, he has it reproduced and used it on his Christmas cards. She said that he spotted the Janusette on the marble statues in the park at Versailles and took his idea to his sculptor friend Leon Leyritz, who designed the flacon. "The bottle had been designed by a French sculptor, Leon Leyritz, who used to work for the musician Ravel, so he's a pretty old man now," said Dennis Desprez in 1975. "He used to make the decor for the opera house in Paris, and he had several exhibitions. And he was very good friends with my father," said Desprez.
Wolfe said that the Janusette was "extravagantly expensive" but "I don't think he, [Monsieur Desprez], cares if he sells any," [referring to the new Janusette flacon design]. He had so much fun creating it. His main interest was in the challenge and artistry of the work. Bal a Versailles is world famous already. The Janusette was just one of his creative ideas," said Wolfe.
As mentioned, Desprez was inspired by statues of the ancient Roman god Janus that adorned the gardens of the Château de Versailles. Janus is usually depicted as a man having two faces, however, Desprez chose to make the bust a female, complete with a flower underneath the breasts. One of the faces symbolized spring, and the other, summer. The shoulders of the flacon show a spiral shape accented with ivy leaves. He shopped around for a goldsmith, found a craftsman in the Marais section of Paris. A goldsmith designed the 18kt gold vermeil openworked crown depicting foliage topped by a jetting water fountain of sterling silver. The goldsmith chiseled by hand each statuette's fountain of silver and crown of 18kt gold.
Jean Desprez commissioned the famed National Porcelain Manufacture of Sevres, founded by Louis XV, to create the sumptuous, new, limited edition flacon for his Bal a Versailles perfume. He had a good working relationship with the porcelain firm, as in the past, Sevres had been previously commissioned to make flacons for two other Desprez fragrances, Votre Main and Escarmouche.
To realize the unique vision that Desprez wanted, Sevres used their "Biscuit de Sevres" white matte finish, an unglazed bisque porcelain, that mimics the look of white marble. Sevres created 100 of the beautiful flacons which were then topped with an 18 karat gold and sterling silver cover. The original elegant bottle stands 7.5" tall and is marked "SEVRES".
Desprez searched France for the best casemakers and settled on a jeweler's presentation case of red morocco leather, its two doors hand tooled with gold leaf, and lined with red velvet and white satin.
The limited edition
"Janusette" Sevres porcelain flacon was released in 1969 for the massive sum of $850, this was an extravagance not easily attainable for much of the public, as contrast, we would expect to pay its equivalent of $7,348.89 in 2023's money. Wolfe said, "It's $850, the crown is of 18kt gold and the fountain is sterling silver. The red leather box is hand tooled in 18kt gold. There are only 100, and each is numbered." She said, "It's Jackie's [Onassis] perfume; it's Elizabeth Taylor's perfume. It's kind of an 'in' fragrance for the international jet set."
The flacon held one and a quarter ounce of parfum and was refillable, at the time, one ounce of the parfum only cost $75 ($648.43 in 2023's money).
Vogue, 1969:
"Jean Desprez has put one and one-quarter ounces of their famous and precious Bal a Versailles perfume into a precious flacon called Janusette. A two-headed statuette of creamy Sevres porcelain, it's crowned with eighteen-carat gold and a sterling silver cover."
Réalités - Issues 330-335, 1973:
"JANUSETTE - To pay homage to the Queen of France, nothing was too beautiful, too delicate, too refined. Champagne and prestigious Burgundy wines were presented to her in special bottles stamped with her coat of arms and which resembled no other. As well as its perfume which only a few great ladies could boast of possessing.
The perfumer Jean Desprez wanted to reconnect with this historical tradition. For his perfume "Bal à Versailles", whose success has spread around the world, he created a bottle whose richness and sumptuousness, never before equaled, make it an authentic collector's jewel. This art object is reserved for one hundred privileged women, each bottle being numbered from 1 to 100.
Only Paris could afford to offer such a sumptuous present. Only its old craftsmen from another age could, in the era of series and mass production, carry out, according to ancient methods, such meticulous work. The sculptor Léon Leyritz, one of whose works adorns the Paris Opera, designed this delightful statuette of the divinity Janus, symbolizing spring and summer and evoking certain statues in the park of Versailles.
The famous Sèvres Porcelain Manufacture, created by King Louis XV, agreed to make it in its workshops in this noble material that is the “Biscuit” whose matte white recalls the grain of marble. In the oldest district of Paris, the aristocratic Marais, Jean Desprez discovered, at the bottom of the courtyard of an ancient palace, the goldsmith who, for weeks, chiseled by hand the silver fountain and the fine gold crown of the statuette of the divinity Janus.
And, because this jewel needed a case worthy of it, it was the best jeweler in Paris who was entrusted with the task of creating this marvelous red morocco box, illuminated with fine gold. Jean Desprez could, of course, have produced hundreds, thousands of copies of this sumptuous bottle. He did not want it because it would have betrayed the spirit of an exquisite and royal tradition."
She added that Desprez initially only wanted to make 30 of the bottles, but was convinced that 100 would be a more satisfactory output. "To have produced thousands of Janusettes would have been to betray the spirit of a royal tradition," said Wolfe. "Jean Desprez offers his regrets to all the ladies who won't be presented with this one of a hundred collector's items."
Out of that 100, by 1975, only 10 bottles remained unsold. They sold out in the United States, Ireland, England, Spain, Japan and the Near East. Despite perfume costs rising, Parfums Desprez did not alter the original $850 price tag. To explain the reason behind this idea, Dennis Desprez explained that "This is not for business. It is something we do - art for art."
Veja e leia - Issues 278-290, 1974:
"Jean Desprez, with his perfume "Bal à Versailles", launched at the beginning of the 60s. In addition to the normal packaging - a bottle with a lyre-shaped lid. Jean Desprez created a special series of bottles with numbered bottles. a statuette signed by the sculptor Leon Leyritz, representing a Greek deity, made in porcelain and with a gold crown. Even though they cost 5000 each bottle, they sold quickly."
In 1989, Parfums Jean Desprez commissioned the artists in Limoges to replicate the flacon, as the price to have Sevres continue production may have been too cost prohibitive for the perfume company. The base of these bottles will be marked "Jean Desprez Paris Limoges." Even though the bottle maker is not the same, the flacon was still housed in the lovely red leather box.
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