Ancient Art Lighting the Way
Client
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Year
2024-2025
INSPIRATION
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a global beacon of history, beauty, and storytelling. With a mission to bring art into everyday life, The Met sought to extend its narrative beyond the gallery walls, transforming iconic works into sensory experiences visitors could take home. That’s where Whitestone came in. Our challenge? To create custom candles that didn’t just smell exquisite but reflected the craftsmanship of iconic pieces from history.
THE PLAN
Our team worked closely with The Met to translate artistic masterpieces into fragrant, functional keepsakes. The project began with three signature scents originally developed for aura diffusers, each thoughtfully crafted with fragrance house Givaudan. To bring these to life as candles, we partnered with Givaudan, carefully reformulating each scent to ensure they maintained their integrity in wax form. Across packaging design and scent formulation, every detail was carefully considered to evoke the origin, tone, and symbolism of each featured work. We balanced historical reverence with modern elegance, ensuring the final product felt as timeless as the institution it represents.
Together, we brought these three signature scents to life:
PRODUCT
CHINESE BOUGH CANDLE: Inspired by an 18th-century Chinese depiction of a blossoming tree by Jin Nong (1687–1773), this candle features notes of azalea and bamboo. A nod to tranquility and tradition, it’s an olfactory escape into classical Asia.
EGYPTIAN GARDEN CANDLE: With deep roots in ancient ritual, this fragrance blends a fresh, floral scent with notes of cinnamon bark, clove, and blue water lily–evoking the sacred gardens of the Nile. Its vessel design comes from Charles K. Wilkinson's (1897–1986) 1921 facsimile, or copy, of an ancient Egyptian garden scene (ca. 1479–1425 BCE), originally painted on a wall in western Thebes.
GREEK TERRACOTTA CANDLE: Earthy and warm, this candle is infused with elements of terracotta, minerals, and salt–channeling the rustic sophistication of ancient Greece. The design pays homage to decorative details from an ancient Greek terracotta vessel (ca. 450 BCE).
RESULTS
These bespoke candles have become a cornerstone of The Met Store’s home collection, bridging art history and modern design in a uniquely giftable form. They’ve helped deepen the connection between visitors and the museum’s collections, creating lasting impressions (and scents) that live far beyond the exhibit halls. Beyond the shelf, this collaboration shows how merchandise can become an extension of a museum’s mission: transformative, accessible, and deeply human.