Atelier Thiery Embellishes Rémy Martin’s XO Decanter With a Flash of Gold Leaf

Delicate, rare, and notoriously temperamental to work with, gold leaf reflects light and sparks fascination like no other surface decoration. It’s an ancient craft that dates back thousands of years, but all too often the results look like they belong back then. Then Atelier Thiery came along and gave a new infusion of life to the traditional art of gilding.

Founded in 1971 by master gilder Patrick Thiery, who passed his knowledge on to his children, Céline, Clément, and Sébastien, the Paris-based workshop is regularly enlisted to restore brilliance to important works of classical architecture around the world. But it’s the studio’s contemporary applications of gilding that have made its name.

In addition to several high-profile, modern interior design projects in Paris—where smooth expanses of whisper-thin gilt cover entire walls and ceilings—Thiery has partnered with many brands to add a touch of gold to everything from surfboards to an Aston Martin DB7. Most recently, the family of artisans joined creative forces with legendary French cognac house Rémy Martin to produce a new, limited edition design for its XO decanter.

Similar to the art of gilding, the process used to distill a complex spirit like cognac requires singular vision and legacy thinking, making the collaboration between the two companies—both of which enjoy France’s prestigious Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (Living Heritage Company) status—a fitting one.

The resulting decanter—which is limited to 30,000 bottles worldwide—features 24-carat gold applied in the traditional square shape of gold leaf, framing the Rémy Martin trademark and highlighting the decanter’s iconic sunburst shape.

"The artistic collaboration between Rémy Martin and Atelier Thiery is an ode to the unique qualities of French excellence and innovation," says Amaury Vinclet, Global Executive Director of the cognac house, which has a history stretching back almost three centuries. "The limited edition decanter celebrates the parallels between cognac and gold—the prestige, rarity, and timelessness."

The gold leaf is applied to the decanters entirely by hand using a traditional gilding cushion and palette, with careful attention paid to attaining a perfect finish with a soft-bristle brush. The studio had to first treat the glass with a light, manual abrasion to create a greater bond between the smooth surface and the gold leaf. They also had to contend with the decanter’s rounded, petal-like curves and oval hollow. 

Both beautiful and technically innovative, "the golden decanter embodies the synergy of two houses rooted in tradition and craft," says Sébastien Thiery. The project also goes to show: Whether it’s a statement-making room burnished in gold or the taste of a fine spirit, things in life that are made with generations of artisanal care will always stand out.

Try Rémy Martin’s "XO Gold Fashioned" cocktail recipe and learn more about the limited edition XO release at remymartin.com.