Davidoff has enlisted the talents of renowned French feather artist Émilie Moutard-Martin for the latest installment in its Masterpiece Humidor collection, the Davidoff Masterpiece Humidor Royal Release.

The design is inspired by the intersection of dance and Davidoff, as Moutard-Martin saw the parallels of using the properties of a natural, organic material—in this case, feathers—to create a work of art that associated the three stages of the cigar tasting experience with the time and rhythm known in dance. Specifically, she saw the aromas developing in the three distinct stages of cigar-tasting resonating with the three-four time of the waltz. As part of the design creation process, she asked dancers to perform a waltz in her studio with paint on their feet, which is how the first designs evolved, revealing curling figures of islands and archipelagos.

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“Davidoff’s world was a place which Émilie was keen to immerse herself in,” said Edward Simon, chief marketing officer of Oettinger Davidoff AG, via a press release. “Observing Émilie performing her craft is watching a true artist. The finesse, details and creativity in her unique process of working with feathers made this outstanding Davidoff Masterpiece humidor indeed a work of art,” he added.

Moutard-Martin selected peacock feathers due to their iridescence and colors, treating them with a technique she developed to give them a plant-like, organic quality. The feathers take on colors of smoky blue, a green that is reminiscent of tobacco fields, and a burnt sienna that is a nod to both the soil and cured tobacco leaves. The design is finished with gold that creates a thread of movement among the wreaths of smoke.

The humidor itself can accommodate up to 250 cigars according to the company, and it comes with 50 of the Davidoff Royal Release Perfecto, a 6 1/8 x 53 perfecto that was created exclusively for the humidor. It uses a Dominican wrapper known as Aromatica Dominicana and which is reserved exclusively for the Davidoff Royal Release line. Underneath that is an Ecuadorian habano binder and a collection of Dominican fillers, including San Vicente ligero, San Vicente Mejorado visos, piloto ligero, ligero from a hybrid of corojo and olor, as well as criollo visos.

The Davidoff Masterpiece Humidor Royal Release is limited to just five pieces, which will be available at Davidoff Flagship Stores and selected appointed merchants beginning in Dec. 2019. Each humidor is priced at $25,000.

This is the second release in the collection, joining the Davidoff Masterpiece Humidor Damajagua Edition created in 2017 by French artist Rose Saneuil, who is known for her own technique of marquetry, a form of decoration that involves using small pieces of wood and other materials to decorate furniture. Moutard-Martin has previously worked with Hermès, Piaget and Montblanc on artistic projects in the world of fashion, jewellery and watchmaking, and recently signed a commission for an installation at the Boucheron House on Place Vendôme in Paris.

Update (Dec. 11, 2019) — Added pricing information.

Images © Oettinger Davidoff AG 2018, used with permission.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.