Alighieri x Belvedere — Candlestick

Concepting, creative direction 

Rosh Mahtani, founder of jewellery atelier Alighieri, is an artist creating beauty out of nature. Driven by telling stories, her work has an organic feel and spiritual connection. Working with Dazed Studio, we commissioned her to produce special piece of work for Belvedere Vodka. An ideal partner for the brand, they both draw inspiration from nature, whilst using fire as a central pillar of their processes.

Rosh created a candle stick holder, crafted in her signature rich, impefectly textured gold, shaped in the form of a medieval key. This key is a symbol of new beginnings. Rosh’s work is inspired by the story of The Divine Comedy. When Dante enters the Inferno he says, “I am not St Paul, I am not Aeneas.” Feeling inadequate for the journey, his guide appears and inspires him to unlock his heroic courage.

We saw great parallels between this unlocking, and how the fire of the candle unlocks the Alighieri process of making the jewellery. The cyclical nature of creating something that holds the fire that starts the whole process off. This piece inspired by Dante’s epic journey would transform dinners into everyday adventures and protect guests after dark. There’s a ritualistic nature to dinner parties and gatherings, where we break bread together, and this candlestick makes for the perfect centrepiece for a dinner with Belvedere. 

We produced a film to reveal the artwork, and to capture Rosh’s process and meditations on the creation of the piece.
Starring:   Rosh Mahtani
Director:   Charlotte Ellis

DOP:   Joel Honeywell
Set:   Georgia Currell
Makeup:   Beck Davenport
Styling assistant:   Rochelle Johnson
Music composer:   Oliver Gale
Edit:   Tom Bailey
Grade:   Vlad Barin @Cheat 

Photography:  Charlotte Ellis

Creative Director:   Jonathan Utracik
Producer:   Amy Patterson
Project Manager:     Hannah King