HandicraftKnow-how

No products in the cart.

Know-how

The Art of Petrification

An ancestral and absolutely unique know-how

That family-run atelier uses thermo-mineral springs to create artworks out of calcite. The craftsman gives the calcium matter an artistic shape without sculpting it by means of 2 techniques : encrustation on mould and crystallization.

Encrustation on mould

The technique of encrustation allows the making of a calcium artwork using a mould.

Completing time: between 6 and 14 months

A matrix is created out of which we make a cast to obtain a negative mould of it. That mould is placed under the Fountain water so that the calcite crystals fill it up. The craftsman’s know-how, as he daily handles the moulds, allows him to obtain a perfect cohesion and homogeneity of the crystals with one another. Once that process is achieved, we take the mould off the low-relief, which neither gets reworked nor polished. That technique allows the craftsman to obtain extremely fine details.

Some examples of encrustations on moulds

Gold panner

Dimensions : 33.5 x 46.5 cm

383,00 €

View product

Interior of a farmhouse

Dimensions : 19.5 x 15 cm

160,00 €

View product

The 3 Charites

Dimensions : 14 x 17.5 cm

90,00 €

View product

Wedding party in Auvergne

Dimensions : 36.5 x 29 cm

431,00 €

View product

Sleeping child

Dimensions : 15,5 x 6,5 x 5 cm

175,00 €

View product

Leda and the swan

Dimensions : 11 x 16 cm

115,00 €

View product

Crystallization

The crystallization technique allows the calcium coating of any item by splashing it.

Completing time: between 3 and 6 months

An item is placed directly onto the petrifying ladders and put into contact with mineral waters which entirely coat it entirely with calcite crystals. The item gets stuck into that calcium deposit. The craftsman keeps a daily close watch over that deposit for it to be even. The specific position reserved for those items under the Fountain water allows the craftsman to obtain a deposit the crystals of which reflect light and gives those items a glittering aspect.

Some examples of crystallizations

“Qui s’y frotte s’y pique”

Dimensions : 14 x 21 x 14 cm

450,00 €

View product

Elephant

Dimensions : 12 x 7 x 4 cm

19,00 €

View product

Hen

Dimensions : 11 x 13 x 13 cm

55,00 €

View product

Swan

Dimensions : 10 x 8 x 5 cm

19,00 €

View product

Butterfly

Dimensions : 16 x 12 x 3 cm

20,00 €

View product

Openwork-ornamental ball

Dimensions : ⌀17 cm / H 19 cm

150,00 €

View product

Labels

For the singularity of its know-how, the Atelier is yet registered on the French Inventory of Rare Handicrafts : Inventaire des Métiers d’Art Rares en France.

In 2009, the awarding of the Living Heritage Company state label : Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant introduced the Atelier into the excellent network of French firms famous for their technically advanced manufacturing process and their fulfillment of the promised unique piece.

That label confirms the state acknowledgement of both the rare know-how held by the Atelier and the craftsman’s innovating ability through new making concepts.

The Atelier belongs to the network of business tourism sites (Entreprise et Découverte). Indeed visitors are led into a thorough visit allowing them to discover the manufacturing workshop, so that they understand the entire production process.

Eric Papon, Master Craftsman in Petrification

Personifying the 7th generation of the Atelier’s craftsmen, Eric Papon is the only holder on earth of the secrets of that unique know-how. His perfect knowledge of the physical-chemical phenomenon he has acquired through his long-lasting experience, allows him to master and accompany the calcium deposit to create artworks. In 2013, Eric Papon was awarded the State title of Master Craftsman in Petrification, acknowledging his know-how, his skills and his personal involvement in valorizing the art of Petrification.

Calcium matter has boundless potential…

By carrying out research and project development in his workshop, the Craftsman experiments new techniques and comprehends the calcium deposit onto new shapes, new materials. Thus he conceives new fields of applications. The Atelier turns now towards made-to-measure projects to create original artworks and meet the current trends of home design and decoration.

Designers, amateur or professional artists who appreciate the exceptional quality of calcium artworks may appeal to the craftsman’s skills for their artistic projects.

16 Mar. 2022

Creations

Plus grande incrustation

Éric Papon s'est lancé un nouveau défi technique : reproduire en calcaire un tronc de plus de deux mètres. Découvrez les secrets de fabrication de la plus grande création en calcaire jamais réalisée.

10 Dec. 2020

Creations

Lusus, Thibault Huguet, designer

Lusus Naturae, en latin signifie « jeu de la nature ». Ce vase en calcite au motif boisé, réalisé en collaboration avec Thibault Huguet, jeune designer installé à Bruxelles, est une création inédite dans l’art de la pétrification.

09 Dec. 2017

Creations

Aven, Romain Langlois, artiste

Fruit d’une étroite collaboration avec Romain Langlois, artiste sculpteur, Aven, alliance de bronze et de calcite est la mise en lumière inédite et originale d’une cavité souterraine sous la forme d’un arbre.

Press Legals Terms of Sales