A pre-made selection of 648 colors presented in a custom-made oak chest. The chest has 8 drawers filled with an incredible collection of color! All drawers are lined with foam to safely house your pastels. An incredible gift to yourself or for a very special pastelist in your life. The cabinet measures measures 20.5 inches wide, 12.5 inches deep and 13 inches tall. Filled with pastels it weighs 44 lbs.
Since these amazing sets are custom made and shipped one at a time, we have to charge shipping from France. Ships directly from Isabelle's Atelier in Paris by UPS Expedited, all customs, duties and brokerage fees total $800 - we pay half of these costs, and have it delivered from Paris directly right to your door. Please allow 8 to 10 weeks delivery. 50% deposit required with order.
What is it that makes Roche pastels so special? Read on... Roche pastels
where first produced in 18th Century France, in a workshop that was
then known as La Maison du Pastel. During the 19th century, this
workshop dealt with all types of artists materials, including pastels.
Around the year 1865, Henri Roche, a chemical engineer, chemist,
biologist, and artist, started to produce his own pastels. A student of
Pasteur, who also worked with Pastels, Roche was in regular contact with
artists such as Degas, Cheret, and Whistler. These artists all
submitted their desires for pastels- they should have a wide range of
colors, varied, harmonious, luminous, and with an adherence to the
support such that no fixative is needed. In 1878, Henri Roche bought and
headed La Maison du Pastel. He decided to abandon selling other
artists materials, so that he could dedicate himself entirely to
pastel. In 1912, Dr. Henri Roche, Roches son, started to divide his time
between his medical practice and his fathers work and research. He
moved the workshop to where it still stands today: 20, rue Rambuteau.
Dr. Roche nearly lost the shop completely during World War I, and the
workshop was looted and occupied by the Germans during WWII. Dr. Roche
managed to keep in contact with his artists during the war, and started
pastel production again in 1946, with the help of his wife and three
daughters. La Maison du Pastel was taken over by Mrs. Roche after Dr.
Roche died in 1948. In 1972, the three daughters took over the business,
led by the eldest daughter. When she died in 1999, at the age of 85,
the remaining two daughters decided to transfer their skills to their
great cousin Isabelle Roche, a young engineer. Fascinated by the history
of La Maison du Pastel, Isabelle has since dedicated all of her energy
to the conservation of this wonderful national and family heritage.