Description

Pastis is an aperitif flavored with anise, fennel seeds, licorice root and other herbs and is very common, especially in the south of France. It is diluted with ice-cold water from a carafe. In order to increase sales and awareness of his pastis, Paul Ricard designed his typical yellow water carafe with his name on it in the 1930s; as an avid sailor, he modeled the spout on the keel of a sailing ship. For decades, Ricard’s ceramic pitcher (French “pichet”) was omnipresent in every bistro in France. Other distilleries also designed their own decanters to promote their pastis. Photographer Rui Camilo has selected and staged well-known but also rare specimens from Michael Eckel’s collection for an artist’s book. The tone-on-tone images have an almost meditative power that gives the pichets the space they deserve.