Bat-Sheba by Judith Muller (1966)

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.

Comments

[Flora]

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.

[Perfumaniac]

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?

[Flora]

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. :-)

[jennifer england]

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

[Perfumaniac]

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!

[rk]

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!

[Perfumaniac]

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...

[rk]

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. :-\

[Perfumaniac]

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...

[rk]

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. :-)

[Perfumaniac]

Yay! Glad you liked it and that you nabbed one. :)

[Julia Gati Luz]

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

[Perfumaniac]

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!

[robin]

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. :-)

[Perfumaniac]

It's a wonderfully complex and sophisticated chypre. I love it, too!

[Janice]

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.

[Perfumaniac]

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!

[Jean DAndrea]

Does anyone know what happened to Woody Modern, a Judith Muller
perfume from the 60's? It was almost as good as BatSheba

Jean

[Perfumaniac]

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...

[robin]

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

[Stacy]

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.

[Perfumaniac]

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.

[Jan]

MKy favourite was the Woody Oriental.

[Jan]

Sorry, I meant "Woody Modern." "Exotic Oriental" was great, too.

[saralyn]

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!

[Perfumaniac]

Lucky you, saralyn. I know people search for this far and wide. Hold onto it!

[julie]

This is tonight's decant. Reminds me of the vintage Miss Balmain I sampled, having that smoky leathery note.

[Angela]

I have a bottle of Bat Sheba perfume with suede pouch, full up to the bottom part of the neck with perfume. Just put it on Craig List. Hope to sell it. Angela Cork. xx

[Perfumaniac]

Good luck, Angela! Hopefully, someone will find it.

[Lola de La Bavière]

today a friend gave me a bottle of bat sheba (oriental), it's nearly full still. It smells like heaven... i was on research for this perfume for 30 years, as i smelled it when i was in paris as an 18 year old... i didnt know the name and nearly gave up. today it just came to me.

[Perfumaniac]

Lola, That's so wonderful the name came back to you after all this time! So you remembered the name, and your friend had it and gave it to you? It's not the easiest perfume to find, so you are lucky! And may I say you have a really beautiful name! Thanks for stopping by.

[tracey]

Could anybody tell me if Judith Muller has started making her perfumes in India yet?

Tracey

[Cee]

I just returned home from an auction by the American Rescue Workers and bought the Bat-Sheba mini bottle set with tags for $3 to add to my emergency fragrance collection. Now I know I found something really special.

[Perfumaniac]

Wow, Cee, you really scored. Bat-Sheba is sought after. What is an emergency fragrance collection? Its got a nice ring to it. :-)

[Stewart]

I was just going through a box of old bottles (some are from the late 1800s) & found a bottle of Judith Mullers which my wife had put there. It looks like it belonged in the box as it looks old (without the gold cord & tag.) It still has its' top & about 10 ml of perfume. It was a 21st b'day gift in 1980. I won't tell her for fear of death, but it's much nicer than anything she wears these days. Stewart. Sth Australia

[Amanda]

I have an empty bottle of my late grandmas Bat-Sheba eau de toilette which is empty but still smells amazing! It has "woody modern" written on the back of the tag. I've always loved the smell & kept the bottle as its so pretty. Would love to buy some more!

[sharon gage]

I have five of the small bottles which my husband bought for me when he went to Israel in 1980. They all have the gold cord and two bottles have the tag. One is Shalom and the other Bat-Sheba. Some still have a little of the fragrances still in them. Am curious if anyone knows where I could find what the worth would be?

[Sabina]

I wore both the "Woody Modern" and "Exotic Oriental" versions of Bat-sheba in my youth (17-18 years old) many moons ago. I remember my father gave me a large bottle of the oriental version for my birthday. The Exotic Oriental version was my favourite because it was headier and had more layers than an 18th Century Courtesan's underwear. On me, this perfume had the power to stop a man walking down a staircase dead in his tracks, make him turn around and come back up the stairs in my scented wake, softly saying: "You smell divine!" Even at such an inexperienced age I realized this perfume's greatness. I'm now in my 50s and even though I would dearly love to smell Bat-sheba again, I'm not sure I could bring myself to actually wear it. It is completely tied up with my memories of the golden days of my youth when I felt worthy of wearing such a sublime scent - when I had flawless skin; long, thick, wavy, auburn hair; and a classic hourglass figure measuring 35-23-35 (yes, I had a naturally tiny waist that didn't need a corset). As a plump, middle-aged lady, it just wouldn't seem right to wear it now.

[lin swig]

There is a Bat Sheba that has no other name. Not the Woody or the Exotic, out of every 10 bottles you find, you'll be lucky to find THAT ONE. Nobody seems to notice this and it needs to be given it's due praise. Beg Judith to come out of retirement and supply us again.

[Ja A.H.KERSSENBERG]

Bat Shewa Bat Sheba Jehodith Muller,the Queen of Scent
please do it again,you are the creator of parfumes,the world had never known,your creation can not be copied,so please do it again!!!!!!!!!,your fan Jim.

[E K]

Wow! I only clicked on this perfume because of its silly name, but this sounds like it might be my ideal perfume. I'm a sucker for honeyed roses.

[resep kue]

what the price??

[Anna]

Hey guys, I came across something when I helped clean out an elderly Jewish lady's basement that she said I could keep. It's a plastic box with two 2oz hand painted bottles of Judith Muller perfume. Original little tags still on the bottles, one says Bat-Sheba and one says Shalom. Not being into perfumes myself, I was thinking of putting it up on ebay, does anyone know how much I should ask? Bottles look almost full. The box has a reference number on the back, says Ref. No. 51 E/W. She told me it was bought in the mid/late 60's in Israel. Does any of you perfumistas want to help me out? Thanks!

[Trish]

Does anyone have any shalom for sale I'm in Australia

[Amy Zymali]

I found a bottle of what I have since discovered is a bottle of Judith Muller perfume. The bottle is about 5" tall and is full to the base of the neck. It has the gold cord on it but no tag. The cap is metal and has the letters JM. I found it in the basement of an estate sale and paid $1.00 for it. From your blog it's sounds quite special. Do you know what it's worth?

[Perfumaniac]

Id check against eBay prices

Sent from my iPhone

[Angeliena Huis]

I have a bottle
As New
In box
30ml
With tag

[Lily-Anne Kerr]

I have a Judith Muller half full perfume bottle on Ebay for sale. Not sure which scent, but it's beautiful both from a bottle AND scent perspective.

[Karisa Ann]

Hello I joined this group because I have an old leather case with 5 small glass bottles of Bat-Sheba perfume that belonged to my grandmother. The bottles are beautiful and I was going to use them for a project but after looking it up online I realized there are quite a few people who would appreciate the perfume inside. I am not sure what to do now. Any suggestions? If anyone is interested in these feel free to email me. [email protected]

[Karisa Ann]

Actually now that I look at them they have different names. Shalom. Judith. 2 Bat-Sheba. & Sharon.