Francesca Bianchi The Black Knight Extrait de Parfum

Fragrance Family:
Dry Woods

Notes:
Artemisia, Caraway, Honey, Bulgarian Rose, Narcissus, Iris Butter, Beeswax, Cedarwood, Vetiver, Patchouli, Oakmoss, Leather

Concentration:
Extrait de Parfum (25%)

Occasion:
A soft woody smoke - a leathery vetiver fragrance. Worn discretely, and it makes a beautiful daily fragrance leaving a memorable aura. 

Francesca’s Inspiration:
“The Black Knight is a gothic, intense, sophisticated perfume inspired by the historical character Giovanni Dalle Bande Nere (John of the Black Bands), an Italian condottiero (mercenary captain) of the Renaissance who belonged to the glorious Medici family. I was charmed by this character for his stoic commitment to his cause, his loyalty, and his Spartan way of life – despite his noble origins.

The perfume tries to depict the atmosphere of a military camp, starting with the smell of wild shrubs, then the smoke of camp fire and the odour of horse tacks. The evolution then delves deeper into the soul of this stern character, revealing the presence of a secret mistress, with a powdery rose rounding up the deep core made of vetiver.

I didn’t add any typical animalistic note as the intensity of vetiver, together with the smokiness of leather, already carried it through. I wanted to combine both the uncompromising and the human aspects of this fascinating character in a dark, medieval, and meditative scent.”

Made in Italy

A vetiver fragrance that embraces the smoky and animalic facets of the material, The Black Knight demonstrates Francesca Bianchi’s power to build opulent aromatic sculptures with incredible panache, beginning with a complex understanding of the materials themselves. Case in point: vetiver becomes the locus in which earthy, leathery, and floral ingredients meet - a combination which starts fantasies of the archetype of the black knight - valiant and mysterious; a stampede and a gallop of animal and of earth trampled underfoot. Bianchi crafts a complete portrait, a mediaeval one replete with aromatic images of barracks and keeps, cordovan leather, woodfire and stables. As this fragrance develops, the vetiver note softens yet remains persistent, moving side-by-side with rose, ultimately gaining a suede-like texture enriched with iris butter and beeswax.