"The muffled light of dawn slips through the flower beds.
A fine shadow sneaks among the roses, jasmine, camelias and irises.
With her delicate green thumb, she awakens the dazzling fragrances of a garden with an imperial destiny."
Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie conquered the young commander Bonaparte's heart, right before his first Italian Campaign. Although she was known as Rose, Napoléon gave her the name "Joséphine". Joséphine was a socialite but a widow with two children and she was already six years ahead of him in life. This was why their marriage in 1796 was not received well by Napoléon's family and many others but this didn't stop him. They had a tempestuous marriage characterized by denial and affairs, as Napoléon once put it, with much love but no respect. As Napoléon was crowned as the first Emperor of France, she became his Empress. In need of an heir, they had to eventually divorce although she stayed in Empress of his heart. Right before Napoléon died during his Exile in Saint Helena island, his last words were: "France, l'armée, tête d'armée, Joséphine" ("France, army, head of the army, Joséphine").
After purchasing Chateau de Malmaison in 1799, Joséphine took a personal interest in the gardens and the roses. She hired botanist, horticulturist as well as landscapers from United Kingdom and Scotland. She wanted to collect all the known roses which resulted in Bonaparte ordering his warship commanders search all seized vessels for plants to be forwarded to Malmaison. It is assumed that she had about 250 roses in her garden when she died in 1814.
Patroness of roses, Joséphine, is the muse behind traditional French candle house Cire Trudor's last scented candle creation. Here are my thoughts after spending a quality time with her in form of a candle.
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| Cire Trudon Joséphine Candle |
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