Apomander, fromFrenchpomme d'ambre, i.e., apple of amber, is a ball made for perfumes, such asambergris (hence the name),musk, orcivet.[1] The pomander was worn or carried in a case as a protection againstinfection in times of pestilence or merely as a useful article to modify bad smells.[1] The globular cases which contained the pomanders were hung from a neck-chain or belt or attached to thegirdle, and were usually perforated in a variety ofopenwork techniques and made of gold or silver.[1] Sometimes they contained several partitions, in each of which was placed a different perfume.[1]
The term "pomander" can refer to the scented material itself or to the container that contains such material.[2][3][4] The container could be made of gold, silver or other materials and eventually evolved to be shaped like nuts, skulls, hearts, books, and ships. Smaller versions were made to be attached by a chain to a finger ring and held in the hand. Even smaller versions served as cape buttons or rosary beads.[5]
A pomander can be a bag containing fragrant herbs and might be viewed as an early form ofaromatherapy. Pomanders can be considered related tocensers, in which aromatics are burned or roasted rather than naturally evaporated.
Pomanders were first mentioned in literature in the mid-thirteenth century.[6] They were used in the lateMiddle Ages through the 17th century.[7]
Pomanders were first made for carrying as religious keepsakes.[8]
A recipe for making pomander was included in John Partridge'sThe Treasury of Commodious Conceits, and Hidden Secrets (London, 1586).[9]Benzoin resin,calamite,labdanum, andstorax balsam were ground into a powder, dissolved inrose water and put into a pan over a fire to cook together. 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. After this, a concoction was made from three grains each ofambergris,deer musk, andcivet musk. The ambergris was dissolved first and the deer and civet musk mixed in later. 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.[10][11]
The scented product was used by royal and aristocratic women in a pomander, a silver or gold ball worn suspended on a chain from a girdle. In 1520, theDuke of Buckingham commissioned a gold pomander with the heraldic badges ofHenry VIII andCatherine of Aragon for herNew Year's Day gift. Other kinds of jewellery were made as containers for the scent, including tablets or lockets, pendants, bracelets, aglets, buttons, and chains with filigree beads.[12][13]
Mary I of England wore a girdle of "goldsmith's work" with a pomander.[14]Elizabeth I wore pairs of pomander buttons.[15] In 1576, a London goldsmith,John Mabbe, had 224 "pomanders of gold filled with pomander".[16]
Among thejewels of Mary, Queen of Scots, were two complete suites of head-dresses, necklaces and belts comprising openwork or filigree gold perfumed pomander beads to hold scentedmusk.[17][18] A string of filigree pomander beads, suitable for a rosary, is thought to have been a gift fromMary, Queen of Scots, toGillis Mowbray and is held by theNational Museum of Scotland.[19]
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. It was favoured by the upper classes who appreciated the delicacy of the liquid perfumes. Its name stemmed from the fact that the box was "pounced" or pierced to release the scent.[20]
One twentieth century style of pomander is made by studding an orange or other fruit with whole driedcloves and letting itcure dry,[21][22] after which it may last many, many years.[citation needed] This modern pomander serves the functions of perfuming and freshening the air and also of keeping drawers of clothing and linens fresh and pleasant-smelling.
Other ingredients in the process of making pomanders are:
A pomander is worn byRosemary Woodhouse, inRoman Polanski's 1968 film,Rosemary's Baby. It figures as a central part of the plot development.
The pouncet box is mentioned in Shakespeare'sHenry IV Part I when Hotspur is accused of withholding Scottish nobles captured in a skirmish and in self-defence pleads, in describing the King's messenger:
He was perfumèd like a milliner,
And ’twixt his finger and his thumb he held
A pouncet box, which ever and anon
He gave his nose and took't away again,
Who therewith angry, when it next came there,
Took it in snuff; and still he smiled and talked.
Medieval pomander paste formulas usually contained ambergris. From this came "pomme ambre" (amber apple) and from there the wordpomander was developed.[7] Other names for the pomander are Ambraapfel, Bisamapfel, Bisamknopf, Bisambüchse, balsam apple, Desmerknopf, musk ball Desmerapfel, Oldanokapsel, Pisambüchse, and smelling apple.
Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Pomander".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 22 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 46.
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