A contemporary alchemist, Marc Quinn’s latest endeavour sees him take Dior’s iconic J’adore fragrance and place it on a floral pedestal. Gleaming in silver chrome and lustrous yellow gold, the sculptural erection rises with quiet intensity, transforming the iconic perfume into something otherworldly, almost celestial.
Dubbed Le Nectar de J’adore, Dior Parfums invited the British artist and long-time friend of the house to reinterpret its most recognisable silhouette: the J’adore amphora. Known for exploring the tension between nature and humanity, Quinn responded with a hypnotic Phalaenopsis orchid in reflective steel, cradling the lean 200ml flaçon like a luminous glass bloom. The amphora – with its elongated cap hand-gilded in gold leaf – becomes the flower’s liquid heart, the nectar.
The piece continues a dialogue that runs deep through Dior’s story – between garden and glamour, art and object of desire. It also nods to Quinn’s own fascination with the natural world, seen everywhere from his giant botanical sculptures at Kew Gardens (Le Nectar de J’adore is a miniaturised version of one of them) to his earlier work with the house reimagining the Lady Dior bag.
Inside the amphora, master perfumer and Dior perfume creation director Francis Kurkdjian’s composition deepens the J’adore signature with a new, exclusive edition made especially for this extraordinary 60-cm-high sculpture. Absolutes of centifolia rose and jasmine grandiflorum meet a tuberose pomade from Grasse, giving the scent a round, sunlit sensuality that lingers long after it’s been sprayed.
Together, Quinn and Dior serve up a study in transformation – metal turned flower, fragrance turned art. At Dior, the power of beauty is reimagined.
Photography courtesy of Christian Dior Parfums.
