Prince Georges V. Matchabelli

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Georges Matchabelli

Prince and perfumer
Born July 23, 1885(1885-07-23)
Georgia (country)
Died March 31, 1935 (aged 49)
New York City
Occupation Diplomat
Perfume Manufacturer
Title Prince
Spouse Princess Norina Matchabelli
This article is about the person. For the perfume line he founded, see Prince Matchabelli.

Prince Georges V. Matchabelli (Georgian: გიორგი მაჩაბელი) (July 23, 1885 - March 31, 1935) was a Georgian prince and diplomat, who fled Soviet Georgia and immigrated to the United States after the 1921 Bolshevik takeover of Georgia.

He was a member of the noble family of Machabeli (Matchabelli) from Georgia, then part of Imperial Russia. In 1916 Matchabelli married Norina Gilli (born in Florence, Italy) who had become famous for her portrayal of "The Madonna" in Max Reinhardt's unique 1911 pantomime spectacle play "The Miracle." He briefly served as the ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Georgia to Italy. With the establishment of Soviet rule in Georgia in 1921, Matchabelli fled his homeland and immigrated with his wife Norina to the United States. The prince was an amateur chemist and in 1924 he and his wife, now known as Princess Norina Matchabelli, established the Prince Matchabelli Perfume Company. Norina designed the crown shaped perfume vial in the likeness of the Matchabelli crown and in 1926 the scent "Ave Maria" was named for her. The company became known for color-coded, crown-shaped bottles that housed such classics as Wind Song, Ave Maria, and Princess Norina. The Matchabellis divorced in 1933. [1]

From 1932 until his death, Matchabelli also served as President of the Georgian Association in the United States.[2] Georges died in 1935, and in 1936 Norina sold the company to perfume manufacturer Saul Ganz for $250,000. [3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Georges Matchabelli Memorial
  2. ^ Georgian Association in the United States of America, Inc.. Accessed on February 26, 2007.
  3. ^ New York Times, June 2, 1986 [1]