A pomander, from French ''pomme d'ambre'', i.e., apple of amber, is a ball made for perfumes, such as

ambergris Ambergris ( or , la, ambra grisea, fro, ambre gris), ''ambergrease'', or grey amber is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull grey or blackish colour produced in the digestive system of sperm whales. Freshly produced ambergris has a mari ...

(hence the name),

musk Musk (Persian: مشک, ''Mushk'') is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial sub ...

, or

civet A civet () is a small, lean, mostly nocturnal mammal native to tropical Asia and Africa, especially the tropical forests. The term civet applies to over a dozen different species, mostly from the family Viverridae. Most of the species diversity ...

. The pomander was worn or carried in a vase, also known by the same name, as a protection against

infection An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...

in times of pestilence or merely as a useful article to modify bad smells. 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 Openwork or open-work is a term in art history, architecture and related fields for any technique that produces decoration by creating holes, piercings, or gaps that go right through a solid material such as metal, wood, stone, pottery, cloth, l ...

techniques, and made of gold or silver. Sometimes they contained several partitions, in each of which was placed a different perfume. The term "pomander" can refer to the scented material itself or to the container that contains such material. The container could be made of gold or silver 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. A pomander can be a bag containing fragrant herbs and might be viewed as an early form of

aromatherapy Aromatherapy is based on the usage of aromatic materials including essential oils and other aroma compounds, with claims for improving psychological and physical well-being. It is offered as a complementary therapy or as a form of alternative m ...

. Pomanders can be considered related to

censer A censer, incense burner, perfume burner or pastille burner is a vessel made for burning incense or perfume in some solid form. They vary greatly in size, form, and material of construction, and have been in use since ancient times throughout t ...

s, in which aromatics are burned or roasted rather than naturally evaporated.

History

Pomanders were first mentioned in literature in the mid-thirteenth century. They were used in the late

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

through the 17th century.Groom, p. 274 Also a version of the pomander with oranges,

clove Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, ''Syzygium aromaticum'' (). They are native to the Maluku Islands (or Moluccas) in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice, flavoring or fragrance in consumer products, ...

s, oils, and a golden ribbon may be used as a recovery charm in witchcraft.

Medieval

Pomanders were first made for carrying as religious keepsakes.

Renaissance

A recipe for making pomander was included in John Partridge's ''The Treasury of Commodious Conceits, and Hidden Secrets'' (London, 1586):

Nostradamus

Michel de Nostredame Michel de Nostredame (December 1503 – July 1566), usually Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French astrologer, apothecary, physician, and reputed seer, who is best known for his book ''Les Prophéties'' (published in 1555), a collection o ...

had a similar method and formula using similar ingredients, but a rather different procedure. "Rose tablets" were made by soaking a pound of roses without the flower heads in

deer musk Deer musk is a substance with a persistent odor, obtained from the caudal glands of the male musk deer. Although more commonly referred to as "musk", the term itself is often used to describe a wide variety of "musky" substances from other animal ...

water overnight. The water was then thoroughly squeezed out and the roses ground with seven ounces of benzoin, a quarter of

and another of civet musk. This mixture was made into tablets, which were each sandwiched between rose petals and dried in a cool, dark areaBoeser (chapter 11) To form the final pomander, two ounces of the purest

labdanum Labdanum, also called ladanum, ladan, or ladanon, is a sticky brown resin obtained from the shrubs ''Cistus ladanifer'' (western Mediterranean) and ''Cistus creticus'' (eastern Mediterranean), species of rockrose. It was historically used in her ...

, an ounce each of

Styrax ''Styrax'' (common names storax or snowbell) is a genus of about 130 species of large shrubs or small trees in the family Styracaceae, mostly native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the majority in eastern ...

calamites and benzoin resin, half an ounce of the rose tablets, one ounce of violet powder, and half a

dram Dynamic random-access memory (dynamic RAM or DRAM) is a type of random-access semiconductor memory that stores each bit of data in a memory cell, usually consisting of a tiny capacitor and a transistor, both typically based on metal-oxid ...

each ambergris and musk were ground into a powder and kneaded with the rose-musk water from the production of the rose tablets. This produced "an aromatic ball of the most supreme perfume, and the longest-lasting that can be made anywhere in the world."

Pouncet box

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.

Modern

One modern style of pomander is made by studding an orange or other fruit with whole dried

s and letting it cure dry, after which it may last many, many years. 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.

Ingredients

Other ingredients in the process of making pomanders are: *

Agarwood Agarwood, aloeswood, eaglewood or gharuwood is a fragrant dark resinous wood used in incense, perfume, and small carvings. This resinous wood is most commonly referred to as "Oud" or "Oudh". It is formed in the heartwood of aquilaria trees when ...

Ambergris Ambergris ( or , la, ambra grisea, fro, ambre gris), ''ambergrease'', or grey amber is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull grey or blackish colour produced in the digestive system of sperm whales. Freshly produced ambergris has a mari ...

Benzoin resin Benzoin or benjamin (corrupted pronunciation) is a balsamic resin obtained from the bark of several species of trees in the genus ''Styrax''. It is used in perfumes and some kinds of incense and as a flavoring and medicine (see tincture of benz ...

Calamus Calamus may refer to: Botany and zoology * ''Calamus'' (fish), a genus of fish in the family Sparidae * ''Calamus'' (palm), a genus of rattan palms * Calamus, the hollow shaft of a feather, also known as the quill * '' Acorus calamus'', the swe ...

Camphor Camphor () is a waxy, colorless solid with a strong aroma. It is classified as a terpenoid and a cyclic ketone. It is found in the wood of the camphor laurel ('' Cinnamomum camphora''), a large evergreen tree found in East Asia; and in the k ...

Cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakfa ...

Civet (perfumery) Civet (''Zibeth''; ''Zibet''; ''Zibetum''), also known as civet musk and civet oil, is the glandular secretion produced by both sexes of Viverridae species. Production A number of viverrid species secrete civet oil in their perineal glands, inc ...

Clove Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, ''Syzygium aromaticum'' (). They are native to the Maluku Islands (or Moluccas) in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice, flavoring or fragrance in consumer products, ...

s *

Gum arabic Gum arabic, also known as gum sudani, acacia gum, Arabic gum, gum acacia, acacia, Senegal gum, Indian gum, and by other names, is a natural gum originally consisting of the hardened sap of two species of the '' Acacia'' tree, ''Senegalia sen ...

Labdanum Labdanum, also called ladanum, ladan, or ladanon, is a sticky brown resin obtained from the shrubs ''Cistus ladanifer'' (western Mediterranean) and ''Cistus creticus'' (eastern Mediterranean), species of rockrose. It was historically used in her ...

Lavender ''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World and is found in Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, and from Europe across to northern and easte ...

* Mace *

Marjoram Marjoram (; ''Origanum majorana'') is a cold-sensitive perennial herb or undershrub with sweet pine and citrus flavours. In some Middle Eastern countries, marjoram is synonymous with oregano, and there the names sweet marjoram and knotted mar ...

Musk Musk (Persian: مشک, ''Mushk'') is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial sub ...

Nutmeg Nutmeg is the seed or ground spice of several species of the genus ''Myristica''. ''Myristica fragrans'' (fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg) is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fruit: nutmeg, from its seed, an ...

Orris root Orris root (''rhizoma iridis'') is the root of ''Iris germanica'' and ''Iris pallida''. It had the common name of Queen Elizabeth Root. Constituent chemicals The most valued component of orris root is oil of orris (0.1–0.2%), a yellow-whit ...

Rose oil Rose oil (rose otto, attar of rose, attar of roses, or rose essence) is the essential oil extracted from the petals of various types of rose. ''Rose ottos'' are extracted through steam distillation, while ''rose absolutes'' are obtained through ...

Rosemary ''Salvia rosmarinus'' (), commonly known as rosemary, is a shrub with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers, native plant, native to the Mediterranean Region, Mediterranean region. Until 2017, it was kn ...

Scented water Scented water, odoriferous water,Baer, p. 43 or sweet water is a water with a sweet aromatic smell. It is made of flowers or herbs and is the precursor to the modern-day perfume. Scented waters are also used in making other products such as p ...

Spikenard Spikenard, also called nard, nardin, and muskroot, is a class of aromatic amber-colored essential oil derived from ''Nardostachys jatamansi'', a flowering plant in the honeysuckle family which grows in the Himalayas of Nepal, China, and India. Th ...

Tragacanth Tragacanth is a natural gum obtained from the dried sap of several species of Middle Eastern legumes of the genus ''Astragalus'', including '' A. adscendens'', '' A. gummifer'', '' A. brachycalyx'', and '' A. tragacantha''. Some of these species ...

* Vietnamese Balm

Culture

A pomander is worn by Rosemary Woodhouse, in

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański , group=lower-alpha, name=note_a (né Liebling; 18 August 1933) is a French-Polish film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two ...

's 1968 film, '' Rosemary's Baby''. It figures as a central part of the plot development. The pouncet box is mentioned in Shakespeare's ''

Henry IV Part I ''Henry IV, Part 1'' (often written as ''1 Henry IV'') is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. The play dramatises part of the reign of King Henry IV of England, beginning with the battle at ...

'' 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.

Etymology

Medieval pomander paste formulas usually contained ambergris. From this came "pomme ambre" (amber apple) and from there the word ''pomander'' was developed. Other names for the pomander are Ambraapfel, Bisamapfel, Bisamknopf, Bisambüchse, balsam apple, Desmerknopf, musk ball Desmerapfel, Oldanokapsel, Pisambüchse, and smelling apple.

Gallery

File:Pomander 1518.jpg,

Jacob Cornelisz van Oostsanen Jacob Cornelisz van Oostsanen (before 1470 – 1533) was a Northern Netherlandish designer of woodcuts and painter. He was one of the first important artists working in Amsterdam, at a time when it was a flourishing and beautiful provincial ...

, Pomander, c. 1518 (Portrait of Jan Gerritz van Egmond van de Dijenborgh, elected Burgomaster of Alkmaar detail) File:Global and box pomander.jpg, Global and box pomander File:Hollar-Dürer Pomander.png, Design for a pomander by

Wenzel Hollar Wenceslaus Hollar (23 July 1607 – 25 March 1677) was a prolific and accomplished Bohemian graphic artist of the 17th century, who spent much of his life in England. He is known to German speakers as ; and to Czech speakers as . He is partic ...

File:Rosary with pomander.jpg, Barthel Bruyn the Elder, Rosary with pomander (Diptych with portraits of the Pilgrum couple (left side: Gerhard Pilgrum) detail) File:Amberger - Portrait of a man.jpg,

Christoph Amberger Christoph Amberger (c. 1505 – 1562) was a painter of Augsburg in the 16th century, a disciple of Hans Holbein, his principal work being the history of Joseph in twelve pictures. Life His father was a stonemason and his grandfather a wood ...

, ''Portrait of a Man'' (c. 1534–1566) File:Pourbus lady pomander.jpg, Pourbus, an unknown lady, holding a pomander on a gold chain (c. 1560–1565) File:Barthel Bruyn 2.jpg, Barthel Bruyn the Elder, portrait of a woman, c. 1538 File:European - Pomander in the Shape of a Ship - Walters 44464 - Profile.jpg, Pomander in the shape of a ship, c. 1600–1650,

Walters Art Museum The Walters Art Museum, located in Mount Vernon-Belvedere, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, is a public art museum founded and opened in 1934. It holds collections established during the mid-19th century. The museum's collection was amassed ...

References

Sources

* Boeser, Knut, ''The elixirs of Nostradamus: Nostradamus' original recipes for elixirs, scented water, beauty potions, and sweetmeats'', Moyer Bell, 1996; * Groom, Nigel, ''The new perfume handbook,'' Springer, 1997, * Longman, Rrown, ''The Archaeological journal,'' Volume 31, Green and Longman 1874 * Madden, Frederic, ''Privy purse expenses of the Princess Mary, daughter of King Henry the Eighth, afterwards Queen Mary'', W. Pickering 1831 * Schleif, Corine and Volker Schier, '' Katerina's Windows: Donation and Devotion, Art and Music, as Heard and Seen Through the Writings of a Birgittine Nun,'' University Park: Penn State Press, 2009, 237, 242-244, Attribution *

External links

Bisamapfel
detailed function of medieval pomander in German. Use Google Translate for English.

14th–17th century pomanders in museums

Watches in Pomanders from 1500 to 1550

Peter Henlein: Pomander Watch Anno 1505
{{Perfume Perfumery