Bat-Sheba, a honeyed-rose oriental chypre by Israeli perfumer Judith Muller, arrived in the mail in a mini, golden-hued amphora bottle with a tiny screw top and a gold cord around its neck bearing the perfume's name. It looked like something you would see behind museum glass at an archaeology exhibit.
I was floored when I smelled the parfum concentration on my wrist: imagine if a pungent rose petal had been dipped into a pot of patchouli, honey, sandalwood, and amber, and you can get a sense of the narcotic allure of this perfume. It has the elegance and structure of a chypre, the heady sweetness of a floral, and the sexy spice of an Oriental. It's been said (but not confirmed) that this is one of Sophia Grojsman's first compositions. (Grojsman was the nose for YSL's Paris, Estee Lauder's White Linen, and Prescriptives' Calyx, among others. Here's a great interview with her on Bois de Jasmin.)
Notes according to Perfume Intelligence: cactus, rosewood, vanilla, cocoa, and balsamic and woody notes.
Notes according to a commenter on Perfume of Life:
Top notes: Aldehydes, cardamom, bergamot, fruit note, rosewood
Heart notes: Jasmine, rose, orris, ylang-ylang, carnation
Base notes: Patchouli, vetiver, castoreum, amber, leather, oakmoss
Bat-Sheba is just a drop-dead gorgeous, embarrassment of riches, Sophia Loren in her prime kind of beautiful perfume. Its contrasting intensities of floral, fruit and green notes heighten the dark and sultry base. In the Bible story, Batsheba was spied by King David bathing and he lost his senses, committing adultery and who knows what else. (OK, so the backstory to the perfume's name isn't so savory...)
As Scentzilla has noted — if this gem could have been overlooked, imagine however many other beauties there are out there to be (re)discovered. Finding perfumes like Bat-Sheba makes sifting through the duds worthwhile. I'm already wondering how I'm going to cope when the tiny bit I have goes away...
Octavian at 1000fragrances has a description of Judith Muller's other perfumes, little known except to those who wore them and to perfumistas lucky enough to have gotten their mitts on them.
What a coincidence - I was just looking for information on Bat-Sheba today and ran across this post, which told me more than anything else I have found! I am trying to get some of this, and now that I have read your comments, I want it even more than ever.
Posted by: Flora | January 10, 2010 at 02:34 AM
Welcome, Flora! I see Bat-Sheba on eBay now and again, so definitely keep looking and its bound to turn up. How did you hear about it? Is it something you or someone you know wore?
Posted by: Perfumaniac | January 10, 2010 at 10:02 AM
Hi - I got some! I had been curious about Judith Muller perfumes but the bottles with perfume actually in them seem to show up quite rarely. I snagged a full mini bottle, and it should be here soon. I can't wait to try it! I just love me some sultry. :-)
Posted by: Flora | January 12, 2010 at 01:10 AM
Am desperate to get more Shalom but will be happy with any. Bought it YEARS ago and it was magnificent. Been looking ever since. WHERE?? Please tell me
Posted by: jennifer england | February 20, 2010 at 01:33 AM
Jennifer, my best advice to you is to be diligent about checking eBay for this perfume. It is bound to show up sometime. Also, maybe join Basenotes.com, Perfumeoflife.com, or Makeupalley.com, because I think all those perfume forums allow their members to swap perfumes. Perhaps someone has a little Shalom theyll share with you? Good luck!
Posted by: Perfumaniac | February 20, 2010 at 08:42 AM
Hi, I wonder if I should purchase this. I am very intrigued by it - the aesthetic, as well as the fact that it is an old school chypre - but I have a serious dislike of sweetness and sweet fruitiness in general (bitter citruse is ok). So with that in mind, do you think perhaps I should avoid this one? Is it noticeably sweet, and what might you compare it too? Sorry for all the questions, thank you so much!
Posted by: rk | April 06, 2010 at 11:58 PM
Hi rk — if you dislike sweet scents and like old-school chypres, then I'd give Bat-Sheba a try (if you can find it!), particularly in the parfum concentration. Its heart is honeyed-rose, but it's quite dry and spicy. It may have sweet undertones, but they're subtle and lend some gentleness and warmth to it. Let me get back to you on what it reminds me of...
Posted by: Perfumaniac | April 09, 2010 at 01:03 PM
Hi! Thanks so much for getting back to me. :-)
I did end up ordering a small bottle of Bat Sheba with a bit left in it. I'm very excited to try it! BTW I found this completed recent auction on Ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/BAT-SHEBA-PARFUM-JUDITH-MULLER-ISRAEL-KEYCHAIN-3-4-FULL_W0QQitemZ310208793265QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item4839e28ab1#ht_500wt_974
A perfectly mint keychain bottle of Bat Sheba....and it sold for only $12.99! Frustrating, I wish I had known of Bat Sheba at that time, i think I would have paid a lot more than that for it, even though it is an unsniffed purchase. :-\
Posted by: rk | April 11, 2010 at 04:29 PM
That keychain is amazing! And weird. Sorry you didn't get to bid on it, but at least you'll get a chance to try Bat-Sheba. You should come back and tell us what you think...
Posted by: Perfumaniac | April 11, 2010 at 06:04 PM
Got my Bat Sheba parfum mini today! It is very pretty, it reminds me of vintage Givenchy III parfum; they smell rather similar to me except i like Bat Sheba a bit more. I especially love the far drydown when vestiges of that glorious spicy chypre base are all that remain. :-)
Posted by: rk | April 14, 2010 at 11:02 PM
Yay! Glad you liked it and that you nabbed one. :)
Posted by: Perfumaniac | April 15, 2010 at 01:40 AM
I am the daughter of Judith Muller. Mother recuperated after a bad accident, she is now as fit, active and creative as ever. We are planning an Art Object Bat-Sheba from the few hundred classic bottles with the the unique formula created by the late Ernest Shifftan, from IFF, and mother. She can be found on Facebook. She is now in Budapest, will be back in Israel on the 16th of July, and planning to create a national fragrance in India.
Thanks for your many kind comments.
Julia Gati Luz
Posted by: Julia Gati Luz | May 13, 2010 at 12:15 PM
Hi Julia! Thanks for telling us about Judith Muller. So many people love her perfumes and will be thrilled to hear this. I will reach out to you for more information and will do a post on it! Thanks!
Posted by: Perfumaniac | May 13, 2010 at 03:17 PM
I commented further up about how I thought Bat Sheba reminded me of Givenchy III, but the more I wear it the more I smell the leather: it reminds me more than ever of scents like vintage Bandit and EL Azuree. Very nice. :-)
Posted by: robin | June 13, 2010 at 06:04 PM
It's a wonderfully complex and sophisticated chypre. I love it, too!
Posted by: Perfumaniac | June 13, 2010 at 06:09 PM
I wore Bat-Sheba in the late 60s -purchased it at Joseph Magnin in Berkley, California. I have been looking for it for years. I am happy to know that I am not alone in my search! Much gratitude to the creator of this softly haunting scent.
Posted by: Janice | July 12, 2010 at 04:32 PM
You know what makes me melancholy about what you just wrote, Janice? I think I know the I.Magnin you're talking about! Do you mean the one that was in Oakland? I just happen to have taken a picture of it! http://thewanderer.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/08/old-i-magnin-building-oakland-ca.html.
Bat-Sheba's wonderful, glamorous, and very sixties. You should be able to find it on eBay if you shop around. Thanks for stopping by!
Posted by: Perfumaniac | July 12, 2010 at 05:08 PM
Does anyone know what happened to Woody Modern, a Judith Muller
perfume from the 60's? It was almost as good as BatSheba
Jean
Posted by: Jean DAndrea | January 08, 2011 at 11:56 PM
I've never heard of it, Jean. The Judith Muller perfumes intrigue me, but Bat Sheba's the one I love. Judith Muller perfume was just OK...
Posted by: Perfumaniac | January 09, 2011 at 02:30 PM
Jean DAndrea: You asked about the Judith Muller fragrance "Woody Modern." I think you may be thinking of Bat-Sheba. Here is a pic of Bat-Sheba with box, and on the box it says "Woody Modern". Here is the pic:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o137/bucket_qaqa/awesomeness/IMG_1571.jpg?t=1293617815
Posted by: robin | February 05, 2011 at 09:43 PM
Hello! From what I have seen there are 2 Bat~Sheba fragrances: Woody Modern and Exotic Oriental. So which one are people referring to here? Thanks.
Posted by: Stacy | March 23, 2011 at 08:01 AM
Hi Stacy. I'm not sure what you mean by this. My bottle of Bat-Sheba doesn't indicate that there are two kinds. If I had to choose between the two categories, however, mine is definitely on the oriental side.
Posted by: Perfumaniac | March 23, 2011 at 11:20 AM
MKy favourite was the Woody Oriental.
Posted by: Jan | June 03, 2011 at 05:42 AM
Sorry, I meant "Woody Modern." "Exotic Oriental" was great, too.
Posted by: Jan | June 03, 2011 at 05:43 AM
I have the small unopened bottle refered to so often. Bought it in Israel probably 20+ yrs ago. The seal is still on it and in fact, never even been out of the molded holder and the clear box with the label on the back. I also have the most gorgeous painted large bottle with the label on it but no perfume (although you can get a himt of the fragrance) The painted bottle is shades of purple in circular shapes and I would so love to know more about it. It is truly beautiful!
Posted by: saralyn | July 20, 2011 at 03:55 PM