Hermès Turkish Horse Scarf

Features

Why we love it

Description & history

A Hermès Cheval Turc carré · design by Christiane Vauzelles, 1969 edition · silk twill · royal blue, ecru and gold colourway · hand-rolled edges · original label present · original box · 88 × 88 cm · grade B.

Hermès began as a saddler, and the horse has never left its carrés. Cheval Turc, designed by Christiane Vauzelles and issued in 1969, offers an Orientalist interpretation: at the centre, a horse led by hand by a man in Turkish dress, rendered like an old engraving. Around it, an entire decorative apparatus — scrollwork, trophies, drums, standards — frames the scene with the rigour of a tapestry cartouche. It is a dense, highly architectural design, to be read flat like a print.

The carré has become one of the house's great classics, reissued many times and in numerous colourways since its creation — a clear sign of its success with collectors.

This version plays on a bold, graphic contrast: a deep royal blue framing the whole and occupying the border, an ecru background brightening the centre, and golden scrollwork structuring the composition with touches of light blue. A striking palette, easy to wear with white, navy blue, camel or denim. The silk twill gives the carré its sheen and drape, while the edges are hand-rolled — a rolled and needle-stitched finish that creates the characteristic small raised rim around the edge of the house's carrés.

Good condition, grade B — hand-rolled edges in good condition, light signs of previous use. No stains, holes or odours, no major flaws to report; the item is documented in photos. The original label is present. Sold with its original box, a dustbag and the RARR Vintage certificate of authenticity.