WHAT DOES A PAINTING smell like – and what does its scent tell us about its creator and its production? At the Barber Institute in Birmingham, this question is centre stage in its new exhibition, “Scent and the Art of the Pre-Raphaelites” (to 26 January). The curatorial team have worked with perfumiers to create an olfactory dimension for some of the paintings on show – including A Saint of the Eastern Church by Simeon Solomon (1867-68). The resulting perfume is all incense and spicy wood: musky overtones, a hint of sweetness.
17 October 2024, The Tablet
Get your two scents’ worth
The Prado found that filling the air with scent increased viewing time from 32 seconds to 13 minutes.
A Saint of the Eastern Church, by Simeon Solomon, is accompanied by the smells of incense and spicy wood
Birmingham Museums
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