Venice, the mude and the Palazzo Mocenigo museum
The project has two sides, one commercial and one cultural. The Vidal family, who run the Mavive group, created the brand at the same time as they were opening Italy's first perfume museum at Palazzo Mocenigo, together with the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia. At its root is the history of the city. The mude linked the East, Africa and Europe, and Venetian craftsmen, the muschieri and saoneri, turned raw materials into perfumes and cosmetics sought after by the courts of Europe. Today the brand's creations are entrusted to perfumers who reinterpret old Venetian recipes in a contemporary way.
How to choose: The Merchant of Venice fragrances by scent family
Spice, amber and leather
The Eau de Parfum Concentrée scents below are built around saffron, which the house calls the golden spice. Craquelé is inspired by the perfumes of the Middle East and is a warm woody scent, opening with red thyme and violet leaves, followed by saffron, freesia and cedar in an amber accord. Liberty tells the story of leather: saffron and white lily, with amber and patchouli in the base. For an amber that also draws on fruit and flowers, there is Ottoman Amber, built on plum, sandalwood, vanilla and labdanum.
Florals
Among the floral fragrances is Rosa Moceniga, dedicated to an old rose brought from China and named after the Mocenigo family, the same family as Palazzo Mocenigo. Its bottle is pink, with decorations that recall petals and silver veining. Red Potion evokes a journey from the coasts of North Africa across the Mediterranean and smells of orange blossom and rosemary.
Citrus, marine and green notes
Venetian Blue is a marine fragrance with a fougère structure that pairs citrus, apple and pineapple with a musky base of patchouli and birch. La Fenice Pour Homme is the men's fragrance dedicated to the Teatro La Fenice and its musical harmonies. It opens with green notes and has frankincense, apple blossom buds and black pepper at its heart.
Choosing by the bottle: the Murano collections
Rococò is an Eau de Parfum Concentrée the house describes as delicate and poetic. It belongs to the Murano Exclusive collection, recognizable by its blue and gold colors and decorations that recall a rippling sea. Red Potion is part of the Murano collection instead, with a red and gold bottle, a tribute to Venice with a texture that evokes waves. The bottle of Mandarin Carnival is decorated with Venetian murrina, the age-old technique of the Murano glassmakers. The blue recalls the Sicilian sea, the murrine colors those of citrus fruit, and a gold tassel finishes the bottle.
Accordi di Profumo: the trial kit
The Accordi di Profumo line brings together eaux de parfum that the house calls Nature-Conscious, each one dedicated to an iconic raw material of perfumery. To get to know them one by one, there is the Accordi di Profumo Trial Kit, with 5 ml vials of Bergamotto Italia, Arancia Brasile, Neroli Marocco, Tuberosa India, Zafferano Iran, Tonka Venezuela, Sandalo Australia and Patchouli Indonesia.
Frequently asked questions
Where is The Merchant of Venice perfume brand from?
The Merchant of Venice is an Italian artisan perfume brand founded in Venice. It was created by the Vidal family, who run the Mavive group and have worked in perfumery for more than a century. Its fragrances draw on the trade between the Venetian Republic and the East, and the bottles recall Murano glass.
What is the connection between The Merchant of Venice and the Palazzo Mocenigo museum?
The Merchant of Venice was born at the same time and from the same idea as the perfume museum at Palazzo Mocenigo, the first in Italy, which the Vidal family opened with the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia. The museum is devoted to the Venetian art of perfumery, while the brand reinterprets it in contemporary fragrances.
Which amber perfume from The Merchant of Venice should I choose?
The house's amber perfume is Ottoman Amber, an eau de parfum that opens with bergamot and then moves to plum, sandalwood, vanilla and labdanum. An amber note also appears in Craquelé, alongside saffron, freesia and cedar, in a warm woody scent that opens with red thyme and violet leaves.
Which The Merchant of Venice perfume is best for leather lovers?
For leather lovers there is Liberty, an Eau de Parfum Concentrée dedicated to this note, with a warm, spicy accord that pairs saffron with a delicate white lily. Its base holds amber and patchouli, for a trail the house describes as mystical and refined.
What is the Murano Exclusive collection?
Murano Exclusive is The Merchant of Venice collection with bottles decorated in blue and gold, inspired by Murano glassmaking. It includes Rococò, with decorations that recall a rippling sea, while Red Potion belongs to the Murano collection and comes in a red and gold bottle.
Which The Merchant of Venice perfume is best for marine notes?
For anyone who loves marine notes there is Venetian Blue, a marine fragrance with a fougère structure. It pairs citrus with unexpected notes of apple and pineapple and a few fresh spices, then settles into a musky, smoky base of birch and patchouli.
Does The Merchant of Venice make men's fragrances?
Yes, there is La Fenice Pour Homme, the men's fragrance dedicated to the Teatro La Fenice. It opens with green notes and has frankincense, apple blossom buds and black pepper at its heart. The house presents it as a perfume that reflects the elegance of the Venetian theater.
What's in the Accordi di Profumo Trial Kit?
The Accordi di Profumo Trial Kit holds 5 ml vials of the eaux de parfum from the Accordi di Profumo line: Bergamotto Italia, Arancia Brasile, Neroli Marocco, Tuberosa India, Zafferano Iran, Tonka Venezuela, Sandalo Australia and Patchouli Indonesia. Each fragrance is dedicated to an iconic raw material of perfumery.
