Perfumer Lyn Harris Brings Scent to Sotheby's Old Masters and London's St Clement Hotel
Lyn Harris, founder of Perfumer H, has collaborated with Sotheby's to enhance the experience of art auctions through scent. In 2022, Sotheby's commissioned three unique scented candles for the auction of 17th-century Dutch Old Master paintings. During the sale of Abraham Govaerts's wooded river landscape, the candle Smoke in Woods was diffused. Inspired by Osias Beert the Elder's floral still life, the Rose and Insects candle features a blend of honey and vetiver, while Clay was recently launched, drawing inspiration from a wood kiln in Jingdezhen, China. The St Clement Hotel in London uses a custom citrus scent from Harris in its refillable glass bottles.
Key facts
- Lyn Harris founded Perfumer H in 2015 after co-founding Miller Harris in 2000
- Sotheby's commissioned three scented candles in 2022 for an auction of 17th-century Dutch Old Master still-lifes and landscapes
- Smoke in Woods was diffused at Sotheby's London during the preview and sale of Abraham Govaerts's early 17th-century wooded river landscape
- Rose and Insects, inspired by Osias Beert the Elder's floral still life of around 1615, contains honey, immortelle, papyrus and vetiver but no rose
- Clay was launched late last month, inspired by a wood kiln near Jingdezhen, China's porcelain centre for 1,700 years
- Perfumer H's 100ml eau de parfum costs £650 in hand-blown bottles from Michael Ruh's London studio
- Harris trained with Monique Schlienger in Paris from 1992 and later at Robertet in Grasse
- The St Clement Hotel in London uses a bespoke Perfumer H citrus scent in refillable glass bottles throughout
Entities
Artists
- Lyn Harris
- Abraham Govaerts
- Osias Beert the Elder
- Coco Chanel
- Michael Ruh
- João de Sousa
- Monique Schlienger
- Nick Wakeman
- Nick Jones
- Richard Prince
- Mark Grotjahn
- Alex Bell
Institutions
- Perfumer H
- Sotheby's
- Chanel
- Studio Frith
- Artangel
- Valentino
- Retrouvius
- Miller Harris
- Robertet
- Studio Nicholson
- St Clement Hotel
- Soho House
- The Art Newspaper
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Jingdezhen
- China
- Marylebone
- Yorkshire
- Scottish Highlands
- Paris
- France
- Grasse
- Cannes
- Aldwych