The ultimate caviar présentoirs, by Ruediger Benedikt
Each bead of caviar is tiny, some barely more than half a centimetre. Even when served on a mother-of-pearl spoon – to not taint the taste of the eggs – the caviar’s physical presence is small, but the delicacy has a cachet of enormity.
That sort of prestige requires pomp and circumstance. Enter Ruediger Benedikt.
Born in Bavaria and now based in Barcelona, Benedikt is possibly the most pre-eminent name in the curious art of creating caviar présentoirs. Hand-made and entirely bespoke, his présentoirs grace the tables of elites and royalty of Europe, the Middle East and the USA.
Take, for example, his Falcon caviar présentoir, a 24K gold-plated bronze creation. Here, a falcon and its 81cm wingspan swoops down onto a perch of thin branch, hovering over an ice bowl that nestles a smaller bowl that will cradle the black gold. Or the Three Sturgeons, a literal interpretation where three sturgeons – whose salt-cured eggs are the pinnacle of caviar – gracefully leap up and embrace a bowl embellished with nautical themes. Equestrian themed motifs are also popular, with his first coming from a Middle Eastern client as a personal commission, resulting in a handsome stallion towering on the présentoir.
Other themes are explored too – Greek myths, Roman gladiators, lions – and all are cast using the lost wax (cire perdue) technique, an arduous process dating back nearly six millennia that places a premium on quality of detail and individuality. When the piece is completed, the wax and plaster cire perdue mould is destroyed, making each Ruediger Benedikt piece unique.
Benedikt’s oeuvre isn’t just limited to caviar présentoirs; his artistic scope includes champagne présentoirs, an entire bespoke made-to-measure dining collection and larger projects including homes, yachts and every single aspect of a private caviar lounge in Dubai. The last is lavish, Ruediger Benedikt style supersized. Six intimate dining rooms comprise the lounge, none of which would look out of place in Versailles, an opulent setting centred on small tins of caviar, from the lounge’s own private label, many of which are set with precious and semi-precious gems.
A grand ingredient requires a grand setting, and Ruediger Benedikt delivers.
