Atelier de Balthus - Incense Box (125 sticks)

In the painter’s studio, all covered in wood panelling, time seems suspended. Through the big bay window overlooking green altitude meadows, the Northern light pours her powdery rays all over brushes, palettes, tubes, paint pots, sketched canvasses and rags still wet with linseed oil. The air is fragrant with the heady smell of turpentine mixed with lovely wisps of smoke, honey, woods, tobacco and cedar wood.

Subtly perfumed, Astier de Villatte's incense immediately bring our favourite places home, leaving long scented traces in their wake.

Its within the island of Awaji, due to its favourable climate, where one finds the best incense on our whole planet.

Passed from father to son, for over a thousand years, The Koh-shis or Masters of Aromas, continue using their traditional methods of fabrication. Only they can perfectly control the four steps of production: perfect dosage of exclusively natural ingredients, precious woods, herbs and plants, vegetable resins and perfume. The kneading of the paste, which is pressed and worked for lengthy periods of time, then laid out to rest for two weeks to fully absorb of the perfumes. The cutting of the paste into lengthy ribbons, rolled by hand, then left to dry in a West Wind for three days, before binding them in sheaves.