To Intensify Shell Box

Editor’s Notes

The Shell box from Astier de Villatte is a testament to the Parisian brand’s spiritual ethos and fascination with folk art and abandoned objects. Votary of pre-industrial fabrication, Astier de Villatte is celebrated for being the one and only studio in Paris to hold and harbour the traditions of artisanal ceramic production. Restoring the ancestral systems of moulding and stamping, this box is made using techniques from the Middle Ages which involve moulding a sheet of handmade clay, double firing the ‘biscuit’ piece and glazing the product in white enamel – a lengthy process that requires a drying time of up to one month. Shaped into a cockle shell, the box is finished with the brand’s signature crest – depicting an interlacing A & V – engraved alongside the initials of one of the 40 master artisans who created it. Each handmade piece tells a beautiful story, imparting an irresistible sense of nostalgia. Use it to give your dressing table an authentic French mood, whilst keeping trinkets safely stowed away. “We ask people to produce with a good spirit so the pieces look almost alive.”
Benoît Astier de Villatte and Ivan Pericoli, Astier founders Artisanal production gives each ceramic object a unique aspect, meaning products may slightly vary.