Diptyque’s large, sculptural candles attest to the expertise of the ceramists at the Virebent workshop, one of the artisanal ceramic workshops the Maison collaborates with in France and Europe.
The art of ceramics
Diptyque’s large “indoor and outdoor” candles contain 1.5 kg of wax. Designed to perfume both the home and the garden, these art objects must be as robust as they are beautiful. Their glazed stoneware pots, composed of a waterproof clay that withstands frost, are made in the workshops of Porcelaine du Lot Virebent, a porcelain manufacturer set up in 1924 in Puy l’Evêque, in the south of France, whose artisans have mastered the age-old techniques of the ceramic arts.
The slip, a mixture of clay and water, is poured into a plaster mould.
Once removed from the mould, the unfired clay pot is left to dry.
Before being fired, the material is brushed and sponged to remove any imperfections.
The slip, a mixture of clay and water, is poured into a plaster mould.
The metamorphosis of matter
Each pot containing our large Diptyque candles takes a week to produce. The process, which is entirely carried out by hand, is a patient metamorphosis of matter, with long intervals between each gesture. The slip, a mixture of clay and water, is poured into the plaster mould engraved with Diptyque’s graphic oval, the Maison’s signature. Each mould produces just one pot a day. Once removed from the mould, the pot is left to dry. Before being fired, the material is brushed and sponged while still raw to remove any traces or imperfections.
The stoneware vessel comes alive in the flames of the kiln, which is heated to 980 degrees, revealing the true elegance of the design. Once fired, the pot is coated in glossy white, translucent grey, deep red, natural green or matt black glaze to match the candle’s scent. Finally, the glaze fuses with the clay in a last firing at 1280 degrees to bring its brilliance to life. The moment the scented wax is poured at the Manufacture Française de Bougies in Provence marks the final stage in this creation combining olfactory, visual and tactile pleasure in a single object.
Long intervals are left between each stage.
The pot is coated in a coloured glaze that evokes the candle’s scent.
The finished vessels are ready to be filled with scented wax.
Making scented candles is a craft that demands time and an intimate knowledge of their materials – wax, wick and fragrance. This expertise has been built up and mastered by the Maison over more than 60 years.
Working alongside some of the most remarkable glass manufacturers throughout France and Europe, such as the Nivyne workshop, Diptyque has honed its extraordinary expertise magnifying the brilliance of candlelight in candle holders with kaleidoscopic effects.
