Penhaligon's new Portraits collection embraces story-telling

For the new Portraits collection from London perfume house Penhaligon’s, inspiration was found amid the world of a fictional aristocratic family and the secrets that they hold

With over 135 years of experience in making unique and wild fragrances, Penhaligon’s has recently unveiled its latest range: Portraits. For the Chapter One iteration, four members of an imaginary aristocratic family have been devised, with the goal to capture each character in scent; creating the ultimate in olfactory fiction.

For the project, packaging was taken to the next level, with illustrations on the boxes being created by artist Kristjana Williams, especially for Penhaligon's. If you look closely between the trees of the garden setting in which each character and the animal that represents them stands, you can see a collection of curios that relate to each individual. Cylindrical bottles gently tapering towards the bottom, giving a nod to the classic fragrances of yesteryear, but it is the solid brass animal heads that sit atop each fragrance that are the stand-out design highlights of the collection.

Learn more about each fragrance below:

The Tragedy of Lord George

Represented by a stag, the decidedly traditional Lord George is a perfect reminder that one should be aware of appearances. Honourable to a tee, his fidelity to King and Country is resolute, yet his penchant for muttering "the flesh is weak" over his breakfast kippers is entirely without explanation.

His fragrance: Woody Ambery Fougere  (brandy, shaving soap and tonka bean)

The Revenge of Lady Blanche

Lady Blanche is a picture of devotion, charm – and criminal intentions. This butterfly of London society – with a dangerous bite one might say – would do anything to climb the social ladder even further! Her latest scheme is to poison her husband, Lord George, inheriting his wealth and burying his secrets for ever. Unsurprisingly, she is depicted by a leopard.

Her fragrance: Narcotic Green Floral (powdery orris, narcissus flower and hyacinth)

The Coveted Duchess Rose

Ever since her recent marriage to Duke Nelson, the demure Duchess is urgently desirous of desire.  At first naively romantic, she has now become disillusioned and frustrated in the unsatisfactory union, and wishes to break free from her corsets in favour of some fun and frivolity. Foxy!

Her fragrance: Delicate Woody Rose (mandarin, rose and musky wood)

Much Ado About the Duke

A tinge of intrigue engulfs Duke Nelson wherever he goes, just like the quirky hound that represents him. Exquisitely ubiquitous, a decadent dandy, an utterly charming chap, virulently ambivalent, a thoroughly ambiguous first son-in-law – hearts throb wherever he goes, but not the ones you might think…

His fragrance: Enchanting Spicy Rose (peppery rose, gin and leathery wood)

To celebrate the Portraits collection from Penhaligon’s, Zuma’s bar development manager Arkadiusz Rybak has worked closely with the perfume house to take the series one step further. Until the end of May, Zuma will be serving up four cocktails that take the fragrances out of the bottles on to your palate. During the two-month long collaboration, those who order one of the cocktails from the collection will also receive a complimentary trial fragrance that matches their drink.