The Merchant of Venice Queen of The Night

Venetian niche house The Merchant of Venice has always drawn on the spice routes of antiquity, and Queen of The Night is their deepest dive yet. Released in 2023 and crafted by perfumer Gaël Montero, this Eau de Parfum Concentrée takes its cue from Kyphi, the sacred temple incense of ancient Egypt burned as an offering to the gods. Built on historical weight and resinous warmth, it pulls from one of the oldest perfume traditions on record. Aromatica carries the Queen of The Night decant in Bangladesh in all available sizes.

Fragrance Notes

Top: Saffron, Cinnamon Bark, Blue Lotus

Heart: Kyphi Accord, Amber

Base: Myrrh, Sandalwood, Tonka Beans Absolute

Full note breakdown on Fragrantica.

The Scent

Saffron arrives from the first breath, warm and slightly metallic, with a dry edge that the cinnamon bark amplifies into something almost smoky before it turns sweet. Blue lotus threads through underneath, adding a faint aquatic-floral softness, though it tends to read more as a whisper than a statement once the spices settle in. Within the first fifteen minutes, the composition already feels ancient, the kind of smell you might associate with burning resins in a stone room. There is a distinct dry-spice quality at this stage, not loud or aggressive, but insistent, the saffron in particular refusing to be pushed aside by anything sweeter. As the opening settles, cinnamon pulls back slightly from its smokiest register and starts to read warmer and more resinous, acting as a bridge toward what comes next. The blue lotus at this point recedes almost entirely, leaving its soft luminosity as a memory beneath the spice rather than a presence of its own. That contrast between the metallic sharpness of saffron and the gentler floral thread is what keeps the opening from reading as purely austere. As it moves into the heart, the Kyphi accord becomes the backbone of the fragrance. Kyphi was a blended Egyptian incense made from wine, honey, raisins, and resins, and Montero's interpretation reads as a honeyed, slightly sweet incense rather than a sharp, churchy smoke. The amber in the heart adds warmth without pushing the composition into conventional amber territory. It functions more as a softener, rounding off the saffron's bite and the cinnamon's sharpness. The middle phase can read surprisingly smooth and almost buttery, which is not what the spicy opening suggests.

That transition, from dry metallic spice to warm honeyed incense, is one of the more interesting things about this fragrance. The amber here reads less like a standalone note and more like a glow that sits behind the Kyphi, keeping the heart from tipping into austerity. As the Kyphi deepens, the honeyed quality becomes more pronounced while the spice retreats to a supporting role, lending enough edge to prevent the heart from reading as purely sweet. The dry-down is where myrrh and sandalwood take over, pulling everything toward a resinous, woody depth that is calm and persistent. Myrrh here is not sharp or medicinal; it is soft and slightly balsamic, complementing the way the Kyphi accord has already warmed up the composition. The sandalwood reads creamy rather than dry, and together with the tonka absolute, it keeps the base from feeling stark or cold. The tonka adds a faint sweetness that rounds the entire finish. On dry skin, the overall impression in the final stage is of warm amber resin with a thread of incense smoke running through it. It can read rich and enveloping or slightly sharp depending on skin chemistry, so testing on your own skin first is worth doing.

When to Wear

Queen of The Night belongs to autumn and winter evenings, the kind of occasions where warmth and presence matter, whether that is a dinner out, a formal gathering, or a quiet night in when you want something that feels considered. Browse the Incense and Smoke collection for other fragrances that share this resinous depth.

Who Is It For

Women drawn to historical and resinous orientals who want something that reads as unusual rather than safe, and who enjoy incense-forward compositions that still carry a warm, wearable sweetness underneath.

If you appreciate the sacred-resin character of Swiss Arabian Incense 01, Queen of The Night sits in the same incense-oriental family but pushes deeper into amber and spice. Browse the full The Merchant of Venice collection at Aromatica.

Available as an authentic decant in Bangladesh at Aromatica in 3ml, 5ml, and 9ml.