Luxury Design (bidding closing from 5pm, Tuesday 9 December) features a highly covetable group of silk scarves by Hermès – just in time for festive gift giving – and we prompted to consider what makes these luxurious carrés so irresistible.
Founded in 1837 by Thierry Hermès (1801-1878), the French luxury goods house Hermès began as a horse bridle and harness company producing items for the horse rider and horse. Hermès won several awards, notably a first-class medal at the 1867 Exposition Universelle, which significantly increased the firm’s profile bringing it to the attention of wealthy clients. Hermès soon branched out into luxury accessories, initially a wider range of leather goods and followed by silk scarves in 1937 – Robert Dumas and Hugo Grygkar together created the first, Jeu Des Omnibus Et Dames Blanches, basing it on a print in the collection of Charles-Émile Hermès, Thierry’s son, who had taken over the running of the company in 1880.
The Hermès scarf is synonymous with some of the world’s most glamorous women: Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Onassis, Sophia Loren, Catherine Deneuve, Grace Kelly and of course, the late Queen, Elizabeth II. It is not known how many scarves the Queen owned, but she was invariably seen at equestrian events wearing The Royal Mews, featuring the stables at Buckingham Palace, from 1994, or Regina, designed in 1972 and re-issued for her Golden Jubilee in 2002.
Since the first in 1937, over 2,000 scarf designs have been produced. Hermès scarves are hand-printed using multiple silk screens. It takes a studio of 20 freelance designers approximately 9-10 months to create a final pattern and for it to be approved; colour testing then takes another 3 months. The entire process from design to concept, engraving and printing, to hand-finishing is approximately two years.
Every Hermès scarf design has a title and many are commemorative with an overall theme, notably equestrian, military, nautical, fantastical, floral, mythological, geographical, historical, amongst many others; and each design is issued in a number of different colour ways, on average at least five different colours. The design A Vos Crayons was produced in the greatest number of colours, 42. Designs may be reissued decades later, or only a few years after the original release, and new colours or a border may be added to vintage designs.
The hand-stitched, hand-rolled hem on the scarf, is called a “roule”. It takes approximately 45 minutes for a hem to be hand-rolled and sewn and the rolling of the roule is the final step in the creation of a scarf.
Hermès’ scarf designers are often known for their particular style, and seven designers are represented in the selection of Hermès scarves in the December auction.
From the group, lot 26, Les Insectes, (est. £100-150 +fees) dates from 1958, designed by Hugo Grygkar – one of the first Hermès scarf designers. Grygkar worked at the firm until his death in 1959. He was also a commercial artist, creating illustrations and posters for Vogue, amongst others, and was responsible for the window decorations at Maison Hermès, 24 rue Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Lot 21, Jeux de Paille, (est. £100-1050 +fees) was designed by Françoise De La Perriere, and first appeared in 1984. De La Perriere was associated with Hermès from 1953 until the mid-1990s, and she created over 30 designs. Also from 1984, lot 24, Jardin Enchanté (est. £100-200 +fees) was Ljubomir Milinkov’s first design for Hermès. Milinkov was born in Serbia and before collaborating with Hermès he worked as an artist, holding a number of exhibitions in the US from the late 60s to the early 70s. Milinkov has received numerous art awards and in 2018 he held an exhibition in China. Lot 23, Le Tarot, (est. £120-180 +fees) was designed in 1991 by Annie Faivre, it has a remarkable level of detail with many overlapping tarot cards and symbols in a fascinating, absorbing design which fills the dimensions of the scarf. Faivre’s childhood nickname was ‘Little Monkey’ and her scarves always feature a hidden monkey within their design.
Designs by Dimitri Rybaltchenko (lot 25, 24 Faubourg, est. £120-180 +fees), Laurence Bourthoumieux (lot 22, Carnaval des Oiseaux, est. £80-120 +fees) and Francoise Heron (lot 27, Vinci, est. £80-120 +fees) are also offered in Luxury Design.
Luxury Design | View the full auction
Bidding closes from 5pm, Tuesday 9 December
Viewing by appointment only: Friday 5 December, 10.30am-4pm; Monday 8 December, 10.30am-4pm; Tuesday 9 December, 10.30am-3pm
Contact us to book your viewing appointment: info@thepedestal.com or +44 (0)207 281 2790
Viewing venue: The Courtyard, Stonor Park, Stonor, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire RG9 6HF