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Sunday, January 4, 2015

Byzance by Grenoville c1926

 Byzance by Grenoville, was originally launched under the name Nikys in 1926, but was quickly changed to Byzance, for reasons unknown. It could be that a rival perfumer already trademarked the name Nikys prior to Grenoville.


Fragrance Composition:


So what does it smell like? It is classified as a white floral fragrance for women. In old advertisements, it was described as "a splendid gardenia of the sharp, tuberose kind."
  • Top notes;
  • Middle notes: gardenia and tuberose
  • Base notes:


Byzance was Grenoville's best selling fragrance, and their Casanova fragrance was their second best.

Exportation of Grenoville's perfumes was halted during WWII, but resumed after the war, but a little later than most, in 1948.


The New Yorker, 1937:
"Grenoville: Byzance. The smartest girls love it and insist on calling it a gardenia. It’s more tuberose to us. And swell."


Drug and Cosmetic Industry, Volume 45, 1939:
"GRENOVILLE Les Grands Parfums, Inc., presents the entire Grenoville line in new outstanding presentations, in various containers priced from $6 to $105. Byzance perfume, the most popular, is a subtle blend of the gardenia fragrance."

The New Yorker, 1939:
"Grenoville: Gardenia enthusiasts like the sharp tang of Byzance, now in modern bottles for both perfume (from $6) and cologne (from $1.50)."


The New Yorker, 1940:
"Grenoville: Byzance, a sharp gardenia perfume which perennially represents glamour to girls-about-town ; $6."



Bottles:

Byzance by Grenoville Baccarat crystal bottle, molded as a stepped rectangle, with matching crystal stopper with matching design. The bottle is signed on the base with the Baccarat engraved stamp. The box is covered with gold paper and decorated with a stylized Art Deco rose motif on the top and on a frieze which wraps around the box. The box is lined with ivory silk satin and the perfume sits inside of a fitted section covered in gold paper. Approximate measurements;  Bottle; Height 3 1/4" x 3 1/4" wide x 3 1/4" deep. Box; Height 4 3/4" x 5 1/2" wide x 6" deep.



Byzance by Grenoville perfume bottle made up of heavy, opaque black glass with gold foil label marked "Byzance Grenoville Paris". Bottle is acid stamped "Made in France" on the base. This bottle design was manufactured by Verreries Brosse in three sizes:  small 2 1/2" tall, medium 3 1/4" tall and  large 4" tall.



Grenoville "Byzance"  opaque frosted and polished black glass bottle molded with Greek key motif, topped with glass inner stopper and outer metal cap. The bottle has that great textured design, on both sides. Approx 2 and 1/2" tall.

 

Grenoville "Byzance" frosted glass bottle molded with Greek key motif, topped with glass inner stopper and outer metal cap. The bottle has that great textured design, on both sides. Approx 2 and 1/2" tall. This bottle also came in a larger size of 3.3" tall.


Byzance Mini Perfume Bottle by Grenoville 2-1/4" tall. The bottle is black glass molded with tiny hobnails, topped with a black plastic cap and a brass over cap. Silver foil floral embossed label on the front of the bottle.  "GRENOVILLE - Made in France" molded on the base of the bottle. 





Standard clear cylindrical glass bottle that was also used for other Grenoville perfumes. This bottle stands 3" tall and has a heavy, cast white metal pinecone screw cap. This bottle was 



the miniature perfume bottle is an exact replica of the standard bottle that is shown above. The bottle is 2" tall  and decorated with applied shell flowers. 


Reste Jeune, 1936:
"At Grenoville, no new perfume at the end of the year; but the success of Byzance, a concentrated and persistent perfume, as well as that of Casanova, are far from exhausted. Grenoville presents its range of perfumes in a new circular case in ivory composition, mounted in gilded metal, extremely luxurious and worthy of the original research of its bottles."


Cylindrical clear crystal perfume bottle in a squatty inkwell shape with brass screw cap, etui presentation case mounted with metal. Marked: “Parfum Byzance – Grenoville – Paris”.
Measures:  5 cm height  x  5,5 cm diameter.



Byzance by Grenoville frosted glass bottle with gilded foil label on the front. The bottle reminds me of the one that dressmaker's dummy bottle used by Schiaparelli for her perfume Shocking. Base is embossed with Grenoville France. Frosted glass stopper. Bottle stands approx. 3 1/3" tall x 1 3/4" wide



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