Davidoff closes the cycle of seasons with “Cave de Paille – Saison III” and reveals this last humidor masterpiece exclusively at Art Basel Miami Beach (December 2 – 6)
Basel, December 2015. Davidoff is set to present the third edition of its humidor collection “Cave de Paille” at Art Basel Miami Beach. Created in collaboration with Paris-based artist Lison de Caunes and crafted using the traditional technique of marqueterie de paille (straw marquetry), this three-piece humidor collection demonstrates Davidoff’s respect for materials and its dedication to creativity, authenticity and luxury.
With these masterpiece humidors, Davidoff reaches new heights by showcasing a craft requiring exceptional thoroughness, imagination and time. A craft that reflects the key traits of Davidoff Accessories by combining Art and Craftsmanship, dedicated to cigar enjoyment with technical expertise.
About the Davidoff masterpiece humidor collection – “Cave de Paille” – by Lison de Caunes
This new Davidoff collection of masterpiece humidors, consisting of three pieces, is inspired by the three seasons and patterns in time: time to grow, time to make and time to enjoy. Lison de Caunes has been the Artistic Director on this process from the very beginning: from choosing the shape of the humidor to tailoring the collection, and elaborating the patterns in time which capture this journey. Just like the Davidoff Master Blender, Lison de Caunes epitomises the ‘métier d’art’ by crafting truly exquisite pieces from the most humble and fragile natural ingredient, straw, which, when properly preserved, only becomes more beautiful with time. She also uses straw to draw geometric and organic patterns that are reminiscent of the cigar’s shape and the colours of premium tobaccos aged to their prime. Each straw is cut to length, hand-flattened with tools made from bone, and then cut and placed side by side on a sheet of paper. Lison de Caunes utilises a mould made of bronze, specifically created for these masterpieces, to cut the straw into the desired shapes. She then creates the design straw-by-straw in a puzzle-like fashion combining shapes and directions to create an appealing effect of depth which complements the silky and shiny surface. To better reveal the subtle lustre of the straw, she has chosen the classic Dome with its rounded shape.
“I like to connect tradition and innovation. A piece of marqueterie de paille is an expression of status and beauty. It doesn’t just represent a functional piece of furniture; it’s an irregular assembled surface meant to immortalize my most precious memories,” says Lison de Caunes.
About the artist Lison de Caunes
After studying at the Union Centrale des Arts Decoratifs, Lison de Caunes dedicated herself to the art of straw marquetry for many years, thereby perpetuating her grandfather André Groult’s tradition. She has received the following honorary titles: President of Grands Ateliers de France, Maitre d’art (1996), Union Française des Experts de la marqueterie de paille specialist and André Groult’s work specialist, Member of Entreprises du Patrimoine Vivant (EPV), Chevalière de la Legion d’Honneur.
About “Cave de Paille – Saison I”
The first humidor in the collection – “Saison I” – has been showcased at Art Basel Hong Kong. The creation of this humidor is inspired by the growing tobacco leaf, captured at the perfect moment of picking: green, rich and full of life.
About “Cave de Paille – Saison II”
“Saison II” – has been unveiled at Art Basel in Basel. This second masterpiece is inspired by cigar bundles and monochrome dark, intense and silky cigar wrappers, aged to perfection for the moment of rolling. “Saison II” captures a significant moment in the life of a Davidoff cigar: it took 15 months, from concept to execution, for Lison de Caunes to combine unique patterns to finish this truly exceptional humidor. Inspired by cigars, it evokes bundles of dry straw. It required approximately 1000 sticks of straw, dried by the sun and tinted by Lison de Caunes for this unique cigar colour. Lison de Caunes selected the best pieces, tinting them, opening, flattening, gluing and cutting each one. 15 months of work to make sure that the time spent with this new masterpiece humidor is time beautifully filled.
About “Cave de Paille – Saison III”
Davidoff and Lison de Caunes created this exclusive masterpiece to share rituals and time in charismatic environments. It is inspired by creation and consumption, the time to craft and the time to enjoy. Starting with a growing plant, and then moving to the cigar wrapper, the Cave de Paille closes the cycle with ash in Saison III. It marks the transformation of tobacco and straw into ash. This mineral is the element nurturing young plants to start a new cycle. This balance of subtle colour hint from charcoal to intense black is achieved through the usage of interlaced straw. The fluid and hypnotic result is particularly difficult to achieve in marquetry. The deep pattern is achieved through the usage of straw in two subtle colours: anthracite grey and intense black. Twenty pieces of this limited edition humidor will be created, piece by piece, by the hands of Lison.
The inside of each humidor comes in a varnished, exclusively selected okumé wood, specifically chosen to preserve the individual flavour of each cigar. These limited edition humidors are equipped with a state of the art self-regulating system that absorbs and releases humidity as required, automatically ensuring the consistent quality of the cigars under its utmost attentive care.
Capacity: 50 – 65 cigars
Size: 425 x 262 x 160 mm
Features: 1 Davidoff de Luxe regulator, 1 removable basket
Launch and availability
The third humidor in the collection – “Saison III” – will be unveiled at Art Basel Miami Beach. Only twenty masterpieces of this limited edition humidors will be available at Davidoff Flagship Stores in the USA, Europe and Asia from December 2015 onwards.
Suggested retail price per humidor: USD $23,350.
The suggested retail price per humidor will include an exclusive complimentary one-year membership to the Hourglass Lounge, the ultimate private membership by Oettinger Davidoff and supported by Quintessentially Lifestyle Concierge Services. This membership gives the cigar aficionado access to exclusive products, services and bespoke experiences. More information about the Hourglass Lounge membership below.
The history of Davidoff humidors
Just like fine wine, premium cigars need to be stored in the right environment in order to emerge matured and improved. It was Zino Davidoff who first invested time in researching and developing optimum ways for storing the finest quality cigars. The time spent in the humidor during the aging process requires absolute control of humidity and temperature. Taking such factors into consideration, he built his first, famous cigar cellar in 1930. However, not all connoisseurs have a cigar cellar at their disposal; thus he pioneered the first humidor so that cigar-lovers could store their prized possessions on a smaller scale. Innovation in the craftsmanship and the science of humidors has gone hand-in- hand in Davidoff’s array of possibilities for humidor design. The Davidoff regulator, for instance, broke new ground with the first, secret self-regulating system, dispensing with the need for a controlling hygrometer to care ultimately for a beautiful cigar, ready to be enjoyed at any time.
The privilege of an exclusive Hourglass membership
Oettinger Davidoff has created “The Hourglass Lounge” in cooperation with Quintessentially Lifestyle, a leading luxury concierge service. “The Hourglass Lounge” is the ultimate private membership which tailors exclusive cigars, accessories and services to delight the cigar aficionado: from access to some of the world’s best lounges to the enjoyment of incredible experiences.
