Have Unguent and Unguentarium, Will Travel: a Moving Exhibition from The Mini Museum and Esscentual Alchemy

The Museum-on-the-Go! Perfume Project, a collaboration between The Mini Museumand Esscentual Alchemy, aims to put an ancient unguentarium (a genuine Roman perfume bottle from the 1st century A.D.) and a beautifully hand-crafted unguent (perfume) created exclusively for the project by artisan perfumer Amanda Feeley, into the hands of collectors and historians across the United States in 2015.by: Jodi Battershell

Unguent, Unguentarium, and U is a new traveling exhibit that will cross the country, making scheduled stops with at least one host in each of the fifty states. A special perfume presentation box has been prepared that includes an ancient unguentarium, custom unguent samples prepared by Ms. Feeley, and educational materials, all of which will be shipped (at no cost) to each registered participant. [I'll be hosting the exhibit here in the state of Pennsylvania and will share my experience with the vessel and fragrance with Fragrantica readers.--JB] 

"We’re hoping that participants will be just as excited as we are to personally handle an authentic 2,000 year-old unguentarium (technically referred to as a lachrymatory) from The Mini Museum’s permanent collection.  By sending one of our oldest miniature perfume bottles on tour across America, our aim is to share some perfume history and introduce ourselves by bringing our museum right to your front door," notes The Mini Museum's Director and Curator, Allen Aaron White.

In addition to laying hands on an ancient perfume vessel, the exhibit package will allow participants to further indulge their senses by sampling an ancient Roman-style perfume. Natural perfumer Amanda Feeley (left) has actually created two perfumes for the exhibit—one re-creating an ancient Roman unguent and the other, a modern-day interpretation inspired by the project and suited to 21st-century noses. In keeping with  the theme of Miniature Perfume Shoppe and The Mini Museum, both fragrances will also be offered for sale in exclusive miniature perfume bottles. In conjunction with the project, special local presentations open to the public will also be led throughout the year by Amanda Feeley in Des Moines and Allen Aaron White in Houston.

Best of all, The Mini Museum is still accepting applications to "host" the exhibit! Participation is free of charge, other than accepting the Museum's  terms of agreement and paying for the return shipping (about $13) to the museum. Participation is open to all interested individuals on a first-come, first-served, and state-by-state basis.

As a token of appreciation, each participant will receive a complimentary unguent sample (included in the box), a $13 credit at Miniature Perfume Shoppe or Esscentual Alchemy toward any single product of equal or greater value (5 ml minimum at Esscentual Alchemy) to offset the cost of return shipping, and a 10% discount coupon good for a miniature perfume bottle of the beautiful “Roman” fragrances by Amanda Feeley, which will be available exclusively at Esscentual Alchemy and Miniature Perfume Shoppe.

The tour is set to begin in late January 2015. Are you in the United States and interested in hosting the exhibit? Please contact Allen Aaron White via email atcurator@TheMiniMuseum.com and/or follow @MiniMuseum on Twitter. International readers, we hope you'll enjoy following the story here on Fragrantica and stay tuned! Allen Aaron White has dropped hints about a possible World Tour of the vessel ...