Pomander
Encyclopedia
A pomander, from French
pomme d'ambre, i.e. apple of amber, is a ball made of perfumes, such as ambergris
(whence the name), musk
, or civet
. The pomander was worn or carried in a vase, also known by the same name, as a protection against infection
in times of pestilence or merely as a useful article to modify bad smells. The globular cases which contained the pomanders were hung from a neck-chain or belt, or attached to the girdle, and were usually perforated and made of gold or silver. Sometimes they contained several partitions, in each of which was placed a different perfume.
The term “pomander” can be for the actual scented material itself or for the container that contains the scented material. The container could have been made of gold or silver. Pomander can be a bag containing fragrant herbs. Pomanders were an early form of aromatherapy
.
through the 17th century.
's 1968 film, Rosemary's Baby
. It figures as a central part of the plot development.
The ingredients were to be:
These above items were to be ground up into a powder. Then they were to be dissolved in rose water and put into a cooking pan. A fire to be put under the concoction to cook together. The concoction was then to be removed off the fire and the complete mixture was to be blended and rolled together into a shape like an apple and powdered with a mixture of cinnamon, sweet sanders, and cloves. These last three items all were to rubbed on and everything completely blended together.
After this three grains each of ambergris
, deer musk
, and civet musk
were to be concocted. The ambergris was first to be dissolved and the deer musk and the civet musk mixed in later. Then the "apple" ball was to be rolled through the musk concoction, blending in these ingredients also. You were to knead the mixture until it was all mixed up and put back into the ball shape of an apple.
The very first step was to make "rose tablets" by gathering a pound of roses without the flower heads, and seven ounces of ground benzoin
. You were to put the roses soaking in deer musk
water for a night. Then remove those roses afterwards and thoroughly squeeze out the water. Then grind them with the benzoin. And when grinding, put it with a quarter of ambergris
and another of civet musk
. After they were ground, you make tablets and put each one between two rose petals. Then you dry the tablets away from the sun.
The next major step was to take two ounces of the purest labdanum
, an ounce each of Styrax
calamites and benzoin, half an ounce of the previously made "rose tablets", one ounce of violet powder, and half a dram
each ambergris and musk.
Next step Nostradmus says is to grind it all into a powder. Then knead it together with the rose-mixture mentioned just above for an hour and you will have an aromatic ball of the most supreme perfume, and the longest-lasting that can be made anywhere in the world.
, after which it may last several years. The modern pomander serves the functions of perfuming and freshening the air and of keeping drawers of clothing and linens fresh, pleasant smelling, and moth-free.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
pomme d'ambre, i.e. apple of amber, is a ball made of perfumes, such as ambergris
Ambergris
Ambergris is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull gray or blackish color produced in the digestive system of and regurgitated or secreted by sperm whales....
(whence the name), musk
Musk
Musk is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial substances with similar odors. Musk was a name originally given to a substance with a...
, or civet
Civet
The family Viverridae is made up of around 30 species of medium-sized mammal, including all of the genets, the binturong, most of the civets, and the two African linsangs....
. The pomander was worn or carried in a vase, also known by the same name, as a protection against infection
Infection
An infection is the colonization of a host organism by parasite species. Infecting parasites seek to use the host's resources to reproduce, often resulting in disease...
in times of pestilence or merely as a useful article to modify bad smells. The globular cases which contained the pomanders were hung from a neck-chain or belt, or attached to the girdle, and were usually perforated and made of gold or silver. Sometimes they contained several partitions, in each of which was placed a different perfume.
The term “pomander” can be for the actual scented material itself or for the container that contains the scented material. The container could have been made of gold or silver. Pomander can be a bag containing fragrant herbs. Pomanders were an early form of aromatherapy
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine that uses volatile plant materials, known as essential oils, and other aromatic compounds for the purpose of altering a person's mind, mood, cognitive function or health....
.
History
Pomanders came from the Arab world to Europe and were first mentioned in literature in the mid-thirteenth century. They were used in the late Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
through the 17th century.
Culture
A pomander is worn by Rosemary Woodhouse, in Roman PolanskiRoman Polanski
Roman Polanski is a French-Polish film director, producer, writer and actor. Having made films in Poland, Britain, France and the USA, he is considered one of the few "truly international filmmakers."...
's 1968 film, Rosemary's Baby
Rosemary's Baby
Rosemary's Baby is a 1967 best-selling horror novel by Ira Levin, his second published book. Major elements of the story were inspired by the publicity surrounding the Church of Satan of Anton LaVey which had been founded in 1966.-Plot summary:...
. It figures as a central part of the plot development.
Renaissance
The Archaeological journal, volume 31 of 1874 on page 339 describes a formula for making a 1584 pomander that was also written up and published by Frederic Madden in his 1831 history book Privy purse expenses of the Princess Mary, daughter of King Henry the Eighth, afterwards Queen Mary on page 257.The ingredients were to be:
- storaxStoraxStorax is also a name for trees in the genus StyraxStorax is the resinous exudate of the tree Liquidambar orientalis , occasionally used in incense or as an aromatic fixative in perfumery....
- calamite
- labdanumLabdanumLabdanum is a sticky brown resin obtained from the shrubs Cistus ladanifer and Cistus creticus , species of rockrose. It has a long history of use in herbal medicine and as a perfume ingredient.-History:...
- benzoin resinBenzoin resinBenzoin resin or styrax resin is a balsamic resin obtained from the bark of several species of trees in the genus Styrax. It is used in perfumes, some kinds of incense, as a flavoring, and medicine . Its principal component is benzoic acid...
These above items were to be ground up into a powder. Then they were to be dissolved in rose water and put into a cooking pan. A fire to be put under the concoction to cook together. The concoction was then to be removed off the fire and the complete mixture was to be blended and rolled together into a shape like an apple and powdered with a mixture of cinnamon, sweet sanders, and cloves. These last three items all were to rubbed on and everything completely blended together.
After this three grains each of ambergris
Ambergris
Ambergris is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull gray or blackish color produced in the digestive system of and regurgitated or secreted by sperm whales....
, deer musk
Musk
Musk is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial substances with similar odors. Musk was a name originally given to a substance with a...
, and civet musk
Civet
The family Viverridae is made up of around 30 species of medium-sized mammal, including all of the genets, the binturong, most of the civets, and the two African linsangs....
were to be concocted. The ambergris was first to be dissolved and the deer musk and the civet musk mixed in later. Then the "apple" ball was to be rolled through the musk concoction, blending in these ingredients also. You were to knead the mixture until it was all mixed up and put back into the ball shape of an apple.
Nostradamus
Michel de Nostredame had a similar method and formula using about the same ingredients as above. His method for making aromatic balls:The very first step was to make "rose tablets" by gathering a pound of roses without the flower heads, and seven ounces of ground benzoin
Benzoin resin
Benzoin resin or styrax resin is a balsamic resin obtained from the bark of several species of trees in the genus Styrax. It is used in perfumes, some kinds of incense, as a flavoring, and medicine . Its principal component is benzoic acid...
. You were to put the roses soaking in deer musk
Musk
Musk is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial substances with similar odors. Musk was a name originally given to a substance with a...
water for a night. Then remove those roses afterwards and thoroughly squeeze out the water. Then grind them with the benzoin. And when grinding, put it with a quarter of ambergris
Ambergris
Ambergris is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull gray or blackish color produced in the digestive system of and regurgitated or secreted by sperm whales....
and another of civet musk
Civet
The family Viverridae is made up of around 30 species of medium-sized mammal, including all of the genets, the binturong, most of the civets, and the two African linsangs....
. After they were ground, you make tablets and put each one between two rose petals. Then you dry the tablets away from the sun.
The next major step was to take two ounces of the purest labdanum
Labdanum
Labdanum is a sticky brown resin obtained from the shrubs Cistus ladanifer and Cistus creticus , species of rockrose. It has a long history of use in herbal medicine and as a perfume ingredient.-History:...
, an ounce each of Styrax
Styrax
Styrax is a genus of about 130 species of large shrubs or small trees in the family Styracaceae, mostly native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the majority in eastern and southeastern Asia, but also crossing the equator in South America...
calamites and benzoin, half an ounce of the previously made "rose tablets", one ounce of violet powder, and half a dram
Dram (unit)
The dram was historically both a coin and a weight. Currently it is both a small mass in the Apothecaries' system of weights and a small unit of volume...
each ambergris and musk.
Next step Nostradmus says is to grind it all into a powder. Then knead it together with the rose-mixture mentioned just above for an hour and you will have an aromatic ball of the most supreme perfume, and the longest-lasting that can be made anywhere in the world.
Modern
A modern form of pomander is made by studding an orange or other fruit with whole dried cloves and letting it cure dryCuring (food preservation)
Curing refers to various food preservation and flavoring processes, especially of meat or fish, by the addition of a combination of salt, nitrates, nitrite or sugar. Many curing processes also involve smoking, the process of flavoring, or cooking...
, after which it may last several years. The modern pomander serves the functions of perfuming and freshening the air and of keeping drawers of clothing and linens fresh, pleasant smelling, and moth-free.
Ingredients
Other ingredients in the process of making pomanders are:- AgarwoodAgarwoodAgarwood or oodh is a dark resinous heartwood that forms in Aquilaria and Gyrinops trees when they become infected with a type of mold...
- AmbergrisAmbergrisAmbergris is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull gray or blackish color produced in the digestive system of and regurgitated or secreted by sperm whales....
- BalmBalmBalm can refer to:*Liniment, a topical medical preparation*Melissa , a plant genus, particularly the species commonly known as Lemon balm*Balm of Gilead, a medicinal resin from the North American species Populus candicans...
- BenzoinBenzoinBenzoin is an organic compound with the formula PhCHCPh. It is a hydroxy ketone attached to two phenyl groups. It appears as off-white crystals, with a light camphor-like odor. Benzoin is synthesized from benzaldehyde in the benzoin condensation...
- CalamusCalamusCalamus may mean:*Calamus , a figure in Greek mythologyBotany and zoology*Sweet Flag , a tall wetland plant*Calamus , a genus of rattan palms*Calamus , a genus of fish in the family Sparidae...
- CamphorCamphorCamphor is a waxy, white or transparent solid with a strong, aromatic odor. It is a terpenoid with the chemical formula C10H16O. It is found in wood of the camphor laurel , a large evergreen tree found in Asia and also of Dryobalanops aromatica, a giant of the Bornean forests...
- CinnamonCinnamonCinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods...
- CivetCivetThe family Viverridae is made up of around 30 species of medium-sized mammal, including all of the genets, the binturong, most of the civets, and the two African linsangs....
- Cloves
- Gum arabicGum arabic220px|thumb|right|Acacia gumGum arabic, also known as acacia gum, chaar gund, char goond, or meska, is a natural gum made of hardened sap taken from two species of the acacia tree; Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal...
- TragacanthTragacanthTragacanth is a natural gum obtained from the dried sap of several species of Middle Eastern legumes of the genus Astragalus, including A. adscendens, A. gummifer, A. brachycalyx, and A. tragacanthus. Some of these species are known collectively under the common names "goat's thorn" and "locoweed"...
- LabdanumLabdanumLabdanum is a sticky brown resin obtained from the shrubs Cistus ladanifer and Cistus creticus , species of rockrose. It has a long history of use in herbal medicine and as a perfume ingredient.-History:...
- LavenderLavenderThe lavenders are a genus of 39 species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. An Old World genus, distributed from Macaronesia across Africa, the Mediterranean, South-West Asia, Arabia, Western Iran and South-East India...
- MarjoramMarjoramMarjoram is a somewhat cold-sensitive perennial herb or undershrub with sweet pine and citrus flavours...
- MuskMuskMusk is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial substances with similar odors. Musk was a name originally given to a substance with a...
- NutmegNutmegThe nutmeg tree is any of several species of trees in genus Myristica. The most important commercial species is Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas of Indonesia...
- mace
- Orris RootOrris rootOrris root is a term used for the roots Iris germanica, Iris florentina, and Iris pallida. Once important in western herbal medicine, it is now used mainly as a fixative and base note in perfumery, as well as an ingredient in many brands of gin....
- Rose oilRose oilRose oil, meaning either rose otto or rose absolute, is the essential oil extracted from the petals of various types of rose...
- RosemaryRosemaryRosemary, , is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple or blue flowers, native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, which includes many other herbs, and is one of two species in the genus Rosmarinus...
- Scented waterScented waterScented water, odoriferous water or sweet water, is a water with a sweet aromatic smell. It is made of flowers or herbs and is the precursor of the modern day perfume...
- SpikenardSpikenardSpikenard is a flowering plant of the Valerian family that grows in the Himalayas of China, also found growing in the northern region of India and Nepal. The plant grows to about 1 m in height and has pink, bell-shaped flowers...
- StyraxStyraxStyrax is a genus of about 130 species of large shrubs or small trees in the family Styracaceae, mostly native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the majority in eastern and southeastern Asia, but also crossing the equator in South America...
Etymology
Medieval pomander paste formulas usually contained ambergris. From this came "pomme ambre" (amber apple) and from there the word pomander was developed. Other names for the pomander are Ambraapfel, Bisamapfel, Bisamknopf, Bisambüchse, balsam apple, Desmerknopf, musk ball Desmerapfel, Oldanokapsel, Pisambüchse, and smelling apple.External links
- Bisamapfel detailed function of medieval pomander in German. Use Google Translate for English.
- Medieval & Renaissance Pomanders 14th-17th century pomanders in museums
- 17th century pomander Wartski, London
- How To Make Pomanders