Pathos

Pathos, from the Aquaflor perfume line in Florence, Italy, may be by Sileno Cheloni, who is the nose behind the other perfumes in my "Wood" discovery kit from Aquaflor, but a nose is not listed for this lovely scent. Pathos is advertized as "A modern classic for the man who could never pass unobserved," but it could easily be worn by women. It has a slight resemblance to Nishane Ani, but with subdued notes of tonka set against a hint of oakmoss (just a hint) along with the sandalwood and ambergris. Citrus and pepper top notes and a heart of lavender and ylang ylang and an earthy edge of patchouli make this a quiveringly fresh, almost tangerine-y sweet--yet not sweet--perfume of vulnerability. Pathos means suffering (passio) in Latin, and the Christian iconography that fills the museums of Florence is all about pathos. But this is more about the pathos of the human body; its curves, its hopes, its secrets.