Hennessy VSOP Privilege Limited Edition by Carnovsky 2016

Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège celebrates its legacy through the unique – and multi-layered – vision of the Milan-based artistic duo Carnovsky. Since founding their studio in 2006, artists Francesco Rugi and Silvia Quintanilla have captured the art world’s attention with an aesthetic that blends 17^th century illustrations with the “RGB Project”, a digital technique named for the virtual world’s primary colors: red, green and blue.

The design for this season’s Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège Limited Edition began with a visit in Cognac, the historic seat of Hennessy. From the Maison’s archives, Carnovsky sourced a variety of patterns illustrating the fundamental elements of cognac making – sun, earth, grapes, and water – as well as symbols representing Hennessy mastery, such as its coat of arms or the compass.

Carnovsky then extrapolated Hennessy’s story into layers, rendering it in “RGB” - Red, Green and Blue overlays - to illustrate the origin and spirit of Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège. Although they coexist harmoniously to the naked eye, these three narrative layers take on an unexpected depth and reveal the invisible stories beneath when viewed through a colored filter:

• Red: Symbolizing the energies and the forces involved in creating V.S.O.P Privilège, the red filter highlights the sun and the moon, evoking the time required to mature eaux-de-vie. The flowing fountains as an evocation of the natural force of water, an allegory for The Charente River, which was so essential to cultivating grapes. Hennessy’s mastery of craft and the precision of its savoir-faire are symbolized by the Hennessy family coat of arms and a compass, which also serves as a metaphor for the expertise of the Hennessy Tasting Committee.

• Green: At the origin of V.S.O.P lie nature and its fruits. In this layer, the lushness of nature comes through in vine shoots, the leaves from antique V.S.O.P labels, the grape and the mighty oak used to make barrels. Floral embellishments convey the finesse and elegance of V.S.O.P Privilège.

• Blue: The dreamscape of a sensorial journey and the experience of tasting V.S.O.P Privilège are symbolized by a sailing vessel. A crown nods to the Prince Regent – later King George IV – whose order in 1817 led to the creation of V.S.O.P Privilège. A cornucopia signifies the symphony of flavors in V.S.O.P, while wings represent the evaporation of eaux-de-vie known as “la part des anges”, or the “angels’ share”. 

In each V.S.O.P Privilège Limited Edition gift box, customers will find an illustrated leaflet and colored filters to enhance their appreciation of the Carnovsky concept for Hennessy. Customer will also be invited to craft their own RGB symbol on craftmysymbol.com. Each symbol is crafted by CARNOVSKY using patterns related to the user’s personal identity.