What if love could be sculpted?
What if a simple gesture — holding hands — became the tangible witness of a deep, invisible, and yet eternal bond?
A gift for an engagement, a wedding, an anniversary, or to honour a lifelong love… There are gestures that words alone cannot carry.
With The Embrace, maison Forest Audiard offers a poetic and timeless response to the pursuit of pure emotion: a sculpture born from a simple gesture — the act of giving one’s hand. More precisely, from that delicate hollow created when we take the hand of the one we love. A fragment of love captured in bronze. A living memory. An eternal symbol.
Holding Hands. And Holding Time Still.
“Love may be spoken in a thousand tongues, yet it lives in a single gesture: reaching for the hand of the one you love. A contact so banal we forget it instantly — and yet, it says everything.”
— Michel Audiard
That fragile space between two joined palms. That unnamed place, full of promise. It is this space we have chosen to sculpt — not the hands themselves, but what binds them.
“L'Etreinte is born of two hands intertwined. A gesture of love, frozen in time. An invisible shape, and yet, so powerful.”
— Sébastien Forest
L’Étreinte is the embodiment of a silent vow. It holds what is felt more than what is said. This artwork is shaped from the real imprint of two hands joined — a fragment of connection sculpted for eternity.
“It is the promise of being present. The tenderness of a suspended moment. We wished to capture this fragile space so it may become a landmark, a witness, a timeless symbol of love.”
— Sébastien Forest
A rare gift to honour love :
Wedding, anniversary, engagement… Life’s great milestones deserve a gesture that rises to meet them. L’Étreinte is not worn. It stands. It lives in a space. It tells a story — yours.
“Marriage is choosing to walk hand in hand — literally and symbolically — to weave a bond that resists time. L’Étreinte is that bond, immortalised in matter, preserved forever.”
— Sébastien Forest
“Bronze is the memory of sculpture. It is the metal of civilizations, of works meant to endure through the centuries.”
— Michel Audiard
Each Étreinte is born in our artistic foundry in Rochecorbon. The piece is cast at over 1,100°C using the ancient lost-wax method, then meticulously chiselled, polished, and hand-finished over 10 to 12 weeks.
“Choosing L’Étreinte means more than acquiring a work of art — it is entering a rare, intimate experience. Each piece is unique, shaped from the couple’s real handprint.”
— Sébastien Forest
The imprint is taken in our foundry or at a place of your choosing. It becomes a ritual — a moment to share. At every stage, we guide you, right up to the final handover — personalised and deeply moving.
“The Embrace is not just an object. It is a work one lives, one awaits, and one passes on.”
— Sébastien Forest
Michel Audiard advice :
“Forget what shines. Seek what resonates. The Embrace is not merely a sculpture. It is an imprint of love, etched in matter. If you seek a gift that is lived rather than shown… then you have just found it.”
The best gifts are those that carry meaning — not just beauty. L’Étreinte is one of them. Sculpted from the real imprint of two joined hands, it captures the very essence of a shared journey: the bond, the time, the emotion. Rather than offering an object to possess, it offers a memory to preserve. It is not worn, it is not stored — it inhabits a space, like a silent witness of love that has endured, and that will continue to grow.
No, it is not a requirement. We would be delighted to welcome you to our art foundry in the heart of Loire Valley, in France, but we can also travel anywhere in France to take the imprint — whether at your home or in a place that holds special meaning for you. (We also offer solutions if you are based abroad.) This moment, too, becomes a memory in its own right. Each Ouvre-Vin is sculpted from the actual imprint of its owner’s hand. It is then cast in bronze in our Touraine foundry, before being hand-chiseled and polished with care. It is a sculpture to be lived with, crafted to endure. Each unique piece requires 10 to 12 weeks of work, carried out by women and men with exceptional savoir-faire.
L’Étreinte is not tied to a date — it is tied to meaning. It can be offered for a wedding, an engagement, a birth, a vow renewal, or even as a gesture of remembrance. Each time, it becomes a symbol of connection. A way to honour what binds two people — whether in joy, in promise, or in memory. It is the ideal gift when words fall short, and when the intention deserves to be eternal.