Monument Léon Chiris - Grasse

The monument is located near the Jardin des Plantes and opposite the former Chiris perfume factory.

Inaugurated in 1914 , designed by architects Léon Le Bel and James Warnery, with a bronze bust of Léon Chiris on top.

Below the bust is a marble sculpture group : an old woman in traditional Provençal dress points to the bust a young girl (or perhaps his granddaughter), who is carrying a bouquet of flowers – the flowers probably symbolising the role of flowers in perfumery.

François Antoine Léon Chiris (1839–1900), local perfumer and politician – first mayor, then member of parliament (deputé) and finally senator for the Alpes-Maritimes.

Under his leadership, Maison Chiris grew into a global perfumery powerhouse ; among other things, he built a Moorish-style distillery (“the Mosque”) in Grasse and a branch in Algeria.

Willem Vandenameele