Georges V. Matchabelli

Georges Matchabelli
Prince Georges Vasili Matchabelli
Born	(1885-07-23)July 23, 1885 Tbilisi, Georgia, Russian Empire
Died	March 31, 1935(1935-03-31) (aged 49) New York City, United States
Cause of death	Pneumonia
Occupation	Diplomat Perfume Manufacturer
Title	Prince
Spouse(s)	Princess Norina Matchabelli

Prince Georges Vasili Matchabelli (Georgian: გიორგი მაჩაბელი) (July 23, 1885 – March 31, 1935) was an American perfumer. A Georgian nobleman and diplomat, he immigrated to the United States after the 1921 Soviet invasion of Georgia.

Matchabelli was born in Tiflis, Georgia, then part of Imperial Russia. He was a member of the noble family of Machabeli and a nephew of the writer Ivane Machabeli. He studied in Tiflis and later in Berlin as an engineer. He was one of the founding members of the Committee of Independent Georgia organized in Berlin in 1914. The Committee intended to garner the German support for Georgia's struggle for independence from the Russian Empire.

In 1917 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 part of the embassy of the Democratic Republic of Georgia to Italy. With the establishment of Soviet rule in Georgia in 1921, Matchabelli, with his wife Norina, moved 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.