Georges V. Matchabelli

Georges Matchabelli გიორგი მაჩაბელი
Prince and perfumer
Born	July 23, 1885(1885-07-23) Georgia, Russian Empire
Died	March 31, 1935(1935-03-31) (aged 49) New York City, United States
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 or Giorgi Machabeli (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.

Matchabelli was a member of the noble family of Machabeli from Georgia, then part of Imperial Russia. He was one of the founding members of the Georgian Liberation Committee organized in Berlin in 1914. The Committee intended to garner the German support for Georgia's struggle for independence from the Russian Empire.

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 was buried in Mount Olive Cemetery in Queens, New York.^[3] In 1936, Norina sold the company to perfume manufacturer Saul Ganz for $250,000. ^[4]

References

1. ^ "Georges Matchabelli". findagrave.com. 24 March 2004. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8553178. Retrieved 2011-04-26. 
2. ^ "Georgian Association History". GeorgianAssociation.org. http://www.georgianassociation.org/History.asp. Retrieved 2011-04-26. 
3. ^ Kevin Walsh with Christina Wilkinson (19 November 2006). "Forgotten New York Tour of Maspeth". Juniper Berry. Juniper Park Civic Association. http://www.junipercivic.com/historyArticle.asp?nid=46. Retrieved 2011-04-26. 
4. ^ "Man, 76, Is a Suicide; His Wife Is Near Death". New York Times (nytimes.com). 2 June 1986. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9A0DE0D81E3BF931A35755C0A960948260. Retrieved 2011-04-26.