![]() Other ingredients in the process of making pomanders are: This modern pomander serves the functions of perfuming and freshening the air and also of keeping drawers of clothing and linens fresh, pleasant-smelling, and moth-free. One modern style of pomander is made by studding an orange or other fruit with whole dried cloves and letting it cure dry, after which it may last many, many years. Its name stemmed from the fact that the box was "pounced" or pierced to release the scent. It was favoured by the upper classes who appreciated the delicacy of the liquid perfumes. In the late 16th century, the pouncet box appeared which, whilst retaining the traditional features of the pomander, was designed to hold liquid perfumes, blended with powder and absorbed on a sponge or piece of cotton. This produced "an aromatic ball of the most supreme perfume, and the longest-lasting that can be made anywhere in the world." Pouncet box ![]() ![]() To form the final pomander, two ounces of the purest labdanum, an ounce each of Styrax calamites and benzoin resin, half an ounce of the rose tablets, one ounce of violet powder, and half a dram each ambergris and musk were ground into a powder and kneaded with the rose-musk water from the production of the rose tablets. This mixture was made into tablets, which were each sandwiched between rose petals and dried in a cool, dark area The water was then thoroughly squeezed out and the roses ground with seven ounces of benzoin, a quarter of ambergris and another of civet musk. "Rose tablets" were made by soaking a pound of roses without the flower heads in deer musk water overnight. Michel de Nostredame had a similar method and formula using similar ingredients, but a rather different procedure. The "apple" ball was rolled through the musk concoction to blend in these ingredients and then kneaded to combine and molded back into the shape of an apple. The ambergris was dissolved first and the deer and civet musk mixed in later. The cooked mixture was then removed from the fire, rolled into an apple shape and coated with a powdered mixture of cinnamon, sweet sanders, and cloves.Īfter this, a concoction was made from three grains each of ambergris, deer musk, and civet musk. Renaissance Ī recipe for making pomander was included in John Partridge's The Treasury of Commodious Conceits, and Hidden Secrets (London, 1586): īenzoin resin, calamite, labdanum, and storax balsam were ground into a powder, dissolved in rose water and put into a pan over a fire to cook together. Pomanders were first made for carrying as religious keepsakes. Ī version of the pomander with oranges, cloves, oils, and a golden ribbon may be used as a recovery charm in witchcraft. They were used in the late Middle Ages through the 17th century. Pomanders were first mentioned in literature in the mid-thirteenth century. Pomanders can be considered related to censers, in which aromatics are burned or roasted rather than naturally evaporated. Ī pomander can be a bag containing fragrant herbs and might be viewed as an early form of aromatherapy. Even smaller versions served as cape buttons or rosary beads. Smaller versions were made to be attached by a chain to a finger ring and held in the hand. The container could be made of gold or silver and eventually evolved to be shaped like nuts, skulls, hearts, books, and ships. ![]() The term "pomander" can refer to the scented material itself or to the container that contains such material. Sometimes they contained several partitions, in each of which was placed a different perfume. The globular cases which contained the pomanders were hung from a neck-chain or belt or attached to the girdle, and were usually perforated in a variety of openwork techniques and made of gold or silver. The pomander was worn or carried in a case as a protection against infection in times of pestilence or merely as a useful article to modify bad smells. Venetian woman with a pomanderĪ pomander, from French pomme d'ambre, i.e., apple of amber, is a ball made for perfumes, such as ambergris (hence the name), musk, or civet. For the United States Navy ship, see USS Pomander (SP-702).
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