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The Enchanted world of VALÉRIE Dawlat Dumoulin after HERMÈS
Since I wrote a short biography about Valérie Dawlat Dumoulin in my post in May of 2018, I have had the distinct pleasure to make her acquaintance!
As a longtime fan, you can only imagine my delight and how honored I felt having received an email from her! And with that a wonderful relationship began.
In her own words …
« When I discovered Carrés de Paris on the Internet, I was so surprised and delighted to read the chapter on my work as a carré artist, that I decided to come in contact with the founder of this lovely and well documented website.
That is how our relationship came to life, with a mutual understanding and taste for the same HERMÈS vintage carrés.
Unfortunately, at the dramatic departure of Jean-Louis Dumas, Hermès emblematic and charismatic CEO, my ten years collaboration was soon over.
I explain to Carrés de Paris, that I was still creating but in a different way : I am, since almost two years, inventing and manufacturing custom jewellery and Carrés de Paris loved them so much that a decision was taken to give them exposure on their website.
I proposed to associate visually my vintage carrés designs that are for sale at Carrés de Paris to one of my jewels, and voilà, « just like that », that is how it is all started, how exciting !!! »
Valérie Dawlat Dumoulin
Here is an introduction to the enchanted world of Madame Valérie … enjoy
AVAILABLE
AVAILABLE
Always an artist, Valérie has created numerous collages and paintings, but more recently discovered a new passion in creating custom jewelry. At first she salvaged and repurposed all of her own jewelry, and as popularity of her one-of-a-kind jewelry grew in her native France, she began to search for unique vintage bits and pieces at flea markets and thrift shops. Self-taught and with an exquisite eye for both beauty and design, she as with her Hermès scarf designs drew her inspiration from flowers, insects, eternal symbols like hearts and crosses, the sea and marine life. She skillfully combines unexpected items with copper wire and magically gives new life to butterflies, flowers and dragonflies!
Merci Mme Valérie de continuer à enrichir notre monde avec de nouvelles créations et une beauté époustouflante.
Ladi
LE TIMBALIER HERMES SCARF BY MARIE-FRANCOISE HERON
I used to belong to the “rest … well” group. Even as a lover of macrame during me teen years, and as a lifelong crocheter and knitter, I just could not embrace this design.
Perhaps it was the lack of symmetry and repetition that somehow prevented me from appreciating this 1961 Marie-Françoise Héron design.
But looking at it through a different lens, the lens of possibilities, I can finally see and appreciate the beauty of Madame Héron’s timpanist.
The Le Timbalier Hermès carre is gorgeous whether in bold colors or this season’s soft pastels. The suggested textures add to its versatility and culminate in a fabulous scarf and accessory. One that lends itself to be draped and played with in so many creative ways, each time offering a new fresh look.
Well Hermès decided to re-issue it this season in various colorways and at $470 it has been flying off the shelves and is currently only available in selected boutiques and no longer online.
But do not despair! You can find a 1990s issue in pristine unworn condition at our eBoutique, Carre de Paris © .
Here is what Hermès© has to say about the Inspiration for this truly iconic Hermès Classic:
Until the end of the Second Empire, the role of the timpanist was to provide the drum beat for French cavalry regiments. The drummer in full dress featured in the center of this scarf, designed in 1961 by Marie-Françoise Héron, plays his instrument with panache. The royal coat of arms with two interlaced L’s seen on his drum evokes the 18th century. The horse, too, is exuberantly dressed. The ceremonial saddle and bridle, like the surround, are ornamented with sumptuous decorative trimmings: lanyards, braids, fringes and twisted cords, not forgetting cartisanes – wooden discs adorned with silver, gold or silk threads.
© Hermès 2022. All rights reserved
Hommage a l’Explorateur Sir Ernest Shackleton
Here for now are some photos of the one and only Hommage a l’Explorateur Sir Ernest Shackleton by Zoe Pauwels, a Special Edition/Issue scarf from 2005.
More about this truly special and considered by many a GRAIL Hermès carré a little later. But in the meantime here are some photos for your enjoyment…
La Cite Cavaliere Hermes carre
As with so many Hermès designs, La Cite Cavaliere carre by Marsal Octave from 2019/2020 immediately captured my imagination.
Perhaps it was the etching style of this whimsical map of Paris before me, that immediately took my mind back to the many fond memories I have of the City of Lights. While in New York visiting a dear friend, my daughter and I wandered around Chelsea, when I asked, “Want to see what’s new at Hermès”? As soon as we walked into the fashionable Chelsea boutique, we were drawn to the glass counter with its numerous folded carres below. Collectively, our eyes settled on the La Cite Cavaliere. For the Inspiration for this design, please visit my previous blog.
And as much as many of the colorways were difficult to resist, there was one, that undeniably stood out from the rest…
The reason for this post however, is not to write about this absolutely captivating design, but to bring attention to the FAKEs that have begun to infiltrate the market.
Please find below photos of one such FAKE and photos of an authentic Hermès La Cite Cavaliere in the stunning colorway of Green Clay and Steel Gray.
I hate to admit that this is a rather “well” made FAKE and one that at first sight can easily fool the best among us. It was one of my dear friends, a longtime Hermès collector herself, who in her haste and enthusiasm to have found her very own Green Clay colorway, mailed it to me. As soon as I held it, I noticed the feel of the silk as being lighter and somewhat “silkier” than I have learned to expect. This of course peaked my interests and curiosity immediately and I fetched my authentic La Cite Cavaliere.
Of course once one knows what to look for, the differences become rather “obvious”. Hopefully these side-by-side photos will help you navigate and discern what is the real deal. If not, I am always happy to provide Authentication Services for a nominal fee.
PHILIPPE LEDOUX’s JUMPING & HARNAIS DE COUR
I am very fortunate not just to have such a dear friend, but also someone who graciously offered to share her perspective on this amazing artist, Philippe Ledoux, whom I call The Other Hermès Legend and two of his popular designs.
My friend Dee, a longtime fellow Hermes aficionado, is ready to share with us fascinating insights into two of the world’s most beloved Hermes designs, Ledoux’s Jumping and his Harnais de Cour.
Enjoy…
Ladi has written a very comprehensive and enjoyable blog on the artist Philippe Ledoux in which she mentions his sense of humor. I would like to share with you two ways I see evidence of this in his Hermes carre designs.
I am generally reluctant to make statements about what an artist thought or felt when he designed his work. Who of us really knows what was going on in the mind of an artist unless he has left us clear notes? So what I give you is my own fanciful reaction to what I see before me.
The first is Jumping which was first released 1971. Here we see what are cameo scenes of open jumping in the show ring. Six horses and their riders are jumping over challenging obstacles. We see the show bridle and the rosettes, so we know this is horse show ring jumping as say opposed to steeplechase or fox hunting. We can ‘feel’ the tension and concentration of horse and rider as they clear massive hurtles.
If we listen closely we can hear the rider click softly to his mount and hear words to steady and focus him. We can ‘hear’ the leather creak and the horse give a grunt of super effort. We can ‘see’ exactly where the high bar is. BUT in his playfulness, Ledoux has removed all the bars and the horses are jumping nothing! Just flying through the air! Yet any rider can see those rails and knows exactly the angles and heights.
Much like the Impressionists, Ledoux was evidently a believer in viewer participation! What fun!
Another example of him engaging the viewer is his 1977 Harnais de Cour.
Here we see a pair of the finest carriage horses no doubt from the royal stables in their best parade harness. You can see them with their necks flexed just so, putting pressure on the bit to be off.
You can see their alert ears flicked back showing just a bit of well-behaved impatience, giving a toss of their heads to make the harness jingle a bit. You can hear the metallic scrape of a hoof on the cobblestones. But wait! There are no horses there! Ledoux has tricked our eye into seeing them even though they aren’t there.
I have my own playful vision of the head of Hermes, M. Dumas dumping a pile of harnesses next to Ledoux’s drawing board and saying, “Illustrate that!” And Ledoux rising to the challenge and creating this magnificent scarf.
This is what I think of when Ladi refers to Ledoux’s sense of humor. No collection of Hermes carres for a horse lover would be complete without an example of each of these two carres.
What an insightful, fun and playful way of seeing such familiar designs. Thank you, Dee for your new and fresh perspective.
Merci beaucoup, ma chère amie!
Happy Earth Day 2020 from Carre de Paris©
Auteuil en Mai HERMES Rare Silk Scarf by Carl de Parcevaux 1997
Auteuil en Mai, Auteuil in May, pays tribute to the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris run at the Auteuil Racecourse, an 82 acre horse racing facility, specifically designed for steeplechase and in operation since 1874.
The Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris takes place in late May and is the richest, most prestigious and also the most difficult jumps race not only in France but the world. Only the best jockeys and their steeds compete here and must overcome the 23 obstacles over a 3.75 mile course, home to two of the most difficult jumps in the world.
Auteuil, today part of Auteuil-Neuilly-Passy, is adjacent to the famous Bois de Boulogne Park (the inspiration for one of Hugo Grygkar‘s scarves). As the 16th and possibly the richest of all the Parisian arrondissements, it is also home to the “other” Statue of Liberty.
map copyright of GOOGLE
Carl de Parcevaux, who has brought us other favorites such as Chasse au Bois and Christophe Colombe , has created a rare and highly sought after carre.
At the center is the racecourse with its stands in the distance, surrounded by various vignettes celebrating this famous venue and its prestigious race.
Designed by Carl de Parcevaux in 1997
PANACHE & FANTAISIE by Hugo Grygkar
If you love horses, you will undoubtedly love the Panache & Fantaisie carre, which was designed by the talented Hugo Grygkar and issued for the first time in 1958/1959.
Hugo Grygkar not only designed the very first carré for Hermès, but he also became Hermès’ most prolific artist. You can read more about the life of this artist and his profound influence on the Hermes carre on my blog by following this link.
Like so many of the early carres, the Panache & Fantaisie showcases horses, a favorite theme, that reflects the Parisian Fashion House’s origins as a harness and saddle maker.
This beautifully detailed composition of show horses with various plumes is worthy of framing.
Without further ado, enjoy close ups of this iconic and highly sought after carre…
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