Bouquet de la Contesse d'Edla by Guerlain c1873

Bouquet de la Comtesse d’Edla by Guerlain, launched in 1873, is a fragrance steeped in romantic history and courtly elegance. Created by Pierre-François Pascal Guerlain himself, this perfume was more than a mere olfactory composition—it was a fragrant homage to a woman of striking individuality and quiet defiance of social norms: Elise Hensler, the Swiss-born American actress and singer who would become the morganatic wife of the former King Ferdinand II of Portugal. Bestowed the title Comtesse d’Edla, she brought a cultured grace and artistic sensibility to the Portuguese court, a spirit that Guerlain sought to immortalize through scent.

 The fragrance was intimately tied to the lush, fairy-tale atmosphere of the Portuguese royal retreat in Sintra—specifically the Castelo dos Mouros (Castle of the Moors), a mist-shrouded fortress nestled high in the Sintra mountains, surrounded by exotic flora and mystical vistas. This castle and the nearby Pena Palace were beloved by Ferdinand and Elise, who together cultivated not only a garden filled with rare botanical specimens from around the world, but a world of cultivated beauty and quiet seclusion. Guerlain’s Bouquet de la Comtesse d’Edla captures the atmosphere of this enchanted place—verdant, floral, and gently melancholic.

Though the formula has been lost to time, one may imagine the perfume as a graceful bouquet rich in white florals, perhaps with orange blossom, jasmine, or rose, twined with delicate notes suggestive of cool forest groves and sunlit terraces. A soft base of musk or amber may have grounded the perfume with courtly warmth, while a whisper of violet or heliotrope would have spoken to the cultivated, intellectual femininity that Elise embodied.

To create a bespoke perfume for a morganatic royal was an unusually personal gesture, reflecting Guerlain’s longstanding connections with nobility across Europe. In this instance, the perfume bridges the realms of romance, art, and monarchy—echoing the very identity of the Countess herself. Bouquet de la Comtesse d’Edla was not just a perfume—it was a tribute to a woman whose life defied expectation, and to a place where love, culture, and nature intertwined in one of the most poetic corners of 19th-century Europe.

Elise Friedericke Hensler (in Portuguese, Elisa) was born on 22 May 1836 at La Chaux-de-Fonds, in the Neuchâtel Canton, Switzerland, the daughter of Johann Friederich Conrad Hensler and his wife Louise Josephe Hechelbacher. Her family was Swiss-German. When she was twelve, her family moved to Boston in the United States, where she was given a remarkable education, with the arts and languages playing an important role. She finished her studies in Paris and as an adult could easily speak seven languages.

Following her studies, Elise joined the Teatro alla Scala of Milan with an easygoing life. In 1855, when she was nineteen, she had a daughter, Alice Hensler, from an unknown father. The father was certainly a member of the Milanese nobility. Alice Hensler later married a Portuguese officer, Manuel de Azevedo Gomes (1847–1907).

On 2 February 1860, Elise arrived in Portugal and sang at the Teatro Nacional São João in Oporto and then at the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in Lisbon, where she performed in Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Un ballo in maschera.

On 15 April 1860, King Ferdinand II of Portugal, widower of Queen Maria Cristina II, watched the play and was seduced by Elise’s voice and beauty; she was then 24 years old. Their relationship deepened rapidly because, just like the King, the singer has a passion for sculpture, ceramics, painting, architecture and gardening.

On 10 June 1869, Elise married morganatically, in Benfica (Lisbon), the former king Ferdinand II of Portugal, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Just before the ceremony, the duke Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a cousin of Ferdinand and the Head of the House of Saxe-Coburg, granted to Elise the title of Countess d’Edla. The marriage was childless.

In Portugal, the couple lived a discreet life in Sintra, where the former king occupied the Palácio da Pena. As a hobby, both Ferdinand and Elise loved botanica, and in the middle of their park Elise built a marvelous cottage which she designed herself, inspired by Swiss chalets and rural houses of the United States.

In 1885, King Ferdinand II died and in his will left all his households to his second wife, including the Castelo dos Mouros and the Palácio da Pena. In order for the Countess to keep these estates, King Charles I had to pay her the amount of 410 millions escudos.

As a widow, Elise abandoned Sintra and settled with her daughter Alice and her daughter's husband, Manuel de Azevedo Gomes. She died of uremia on 21 May 1929 in Lisbon, Portugal. At her funeral, the dowager queen Amélie of Orléans and the ex-king Manuel II of Portugal were represented by the Viscount of Asseca.

La Moda elegante ilustrada: periódico de las familias -, 1879:

"Successful products Guerlain 15 Rue de la Paix in Paris concluded to assert in the past year during the Universal Exhibition and after it closed, Monsieur Guerlain has seen orders double. Articles deserved reward for a continuous job and constantly renewed experience of the Bouquet de la Contesse d'Edla just been composed by renowned perfumer at the instance of Her Majesty the Queen of Portugal with flowers from the neighboring kingdom and flora of the mountains on which rises the old castle of Cintra, favorite residence of the Portuguese Royal family. Mr Guerlain has provided the basis of the most exquisite Cintra perfume extract particularly recommend Guerlain perfumed cologne, a cool and pleasant, and excellent for everyday use, this also brings the liquid quality odor dispel headache if rubbed his temples with it."

photo by gerardo borbolla

Fragrance Composition:

So what did it smell like? It was blended with the odors of the flowers from Portugal and flowers of the mountains on which rises the old castle of Cintra. Mosses are abundantly found on the castle and its surroundings. Lavender is the national flower of Portugal so I imagine this odor would be present in the perfume. Other plants and flowers of the region include euphorbia, nettle, acacia, elderflower, myrtle, marigold, rockrose, pine, tangerine, mint, lime, reseda, oak, clover, orange blossom, cypress, mimosa, almond, pomegranate, quince, fig, arbutus and others. Any of these could have been used in the perfume.

Scent Profile:

Bouquet de la Comtesse d'Edla by Guerlain, created for the Countess Elise Hensler and inspired by the fragrant landscapes of Sintra, is a beautiful fusion of the wild and cultivated flora of the region. The perfume is infused with the very essence of the flowers and plants that bloomed around the ancient Castelo dos Mouros, a castle perched on the misty mountains of Sintra. Its unique blend captures not just the beauty of the place but the soul of the land itself, where nature thrives in abundance.

The top notes of this fragrance would likely have captured the zest of Portugal’s citrus heritage, with the lively, refreshing scent of tangerine and lime mingling in the air, bringing the vibrancy of the sun-soaked landscape into the perfume. These tangy, zesty aromas would have been softened by the delicate, floral freshness of orange blossom, which thrives in the region and is evocative of the gentle breeze that whispers through Sintra's dense groves. Lavender, Portugal’s national flower, would have added a rich, calming layer to the composition, infusing the fragrance with its herbaceous, slightly sweet aroma that evokes images of blooming fields and countryside tranquility.

The heart of the perfume would have been enhanced by the wildflowers of Sintra’s mountainous terrain—vivid bursts of elderflower, with its subtly fruity, honeyed fragrance; and acacia, with its sweet, powdery floral scent. The presence of myrtle, with its green, slightly camphoraceous note, might have added depth and an earthy freshness to the bouquet. Marigold’s warm, slightly spicy fragrance could have mingled beautifully with rockrose’s resinous, honeyed undertones, both capturing the rugged beauty of the region’s wild flora.

Hints of moss, abundant around the castle and its surroundings, would have lent the perfume a grounded, earthy note, creating a rich contrast to the lighter floral aspects and evoking the cool, shaded corners of the castle. This mossy, damp quality would have blended effortlessly with the deeper, more sensual undertones of oak and cypress, which evoke the strength and majesty of the mountains that surround Sintra. These woody notes, paired with a soft whisper of almond and mimosa, would offer a comforting, warm base, while the fruit notes of pomegranate, quince, and fig would add a subtle sweetness, reminiscent of a royal garden brimming with harvest.

With its composition of floral, fruity, and woody elements, Bouquet de la Comtesse d’Edla would have captured the very essence of Sintra—its wild beauty, its royal heritage, and the romantic landscape that enveloped the Countess. Each element, from the lavender to the moss, evokes a connection to the land, while the blend of citrus fruits and wildflowers brings an air of fresh elegance to the fragrance. The perfume would have been a true olfactory tribute to the enchanting gardens and the heart of the mountains that were so dear to the Countess.

photo by uxarts

Bottle:

Presented in the Carre flacon.

 

 

Fate of the Fragrance:

Discontinued, date unknown.