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Shawl thumbnail 2
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Shawl

2014 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This shawl has the classic Hermès ‘cavalcadour’ print of intertwined horse harness and bridles which was designed by Henri d’Origny in 1981. The print was execued in Lyon in the Hermès workshops. This example has been decorated with fine hand-embroidery which took 500 hours to complete and was done by highly skilled Indian artisans at Les Ateliers 2M, studios run by Maximiliano Modesti in Mumbai.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Cashmere wool, design printed used the frame-printing technique known as 'Lyonnaise' and hand embroidered with silk thread.
Brief description
Shawl with ‘Cavalcadour fleuri’ print and embroidered detail. Designed by Henri d’Origny for Hermès, cashmere, hand-embroidered with silk at Les Aterlier 2M, Mumbai, in India, 2014
Physical description
Off-white shawl with grey and white ‘cavalcadour’ print of intertwined horse harness and bridles. Hand-embroidered in sections with red flowers. One flower embroidered with back and white thread.
Dimensions
  • Height: 140cm
  • Length: 140cm
Production typeLimited edition
Gallery label
(3/10/2015-10/01/2016)
The classic Hermès ‘cavalcadour’ print of a horse harness and bridles dates to 1981. This recent version is decorated with finely embroidered flowers which took 500 hours to complete. Hermès, with their reputation for high-quality products, have incorporated Indian artisanal skills because of the shared values associated with hand-crafted excellence.

Designed by Henri d’Origny (b.1934)
for Hermès, Paris
Embroidered at Les Ateliers 2M,
Mumbai
Cashmere embroidered with silk
Paris, 2014
Courtesy of Hermès
Credit line
Kindly donated by Hermès-Paris
Object history
This object was borrowed for display in 'The Fabric of India' Exhibition held at the V&A 3 October 2015 to 10 January 2016. It was subsequently gifted to the museum.
Production
This shawl has the classic Hermès ‘cavalcadour’ print of intertwined horse harness and bridles designed by Henri d’Origny in 1981. This recent version is decorated with fine hand embroidery which took 500 hours to compete and was done in Mumbai in Les Ateliers 2M, studios run by Maximiliano Modesti. There were 80 of these particular shawls made.
Summary
This shawl has the classic Hermès ‘cavalcadour’ print of intertwined horse harness and bridles which was designed by Henri d’Origny in 1981. The print was execued in Lyon in the Hermès workshops. This example has been decorated with fine hand-embroidery which took 500 hours to complete and was done by highly skilled Indian artisans at Les Ateliers 2M, studios run by Maximiliano Modesti in Mumbai.
Bibliographic reference
Miller, Lesley Ellis, and Ana Cabrera Lafuente, with Claire Allen-Johnstone, eds. Silk: Fibre, Fabric and Fashion. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2021. ISBN 978-0-500-48065-6. This object features in the publication Silk: Fibre, Fabric and Fashion (2021)
Collection
Accession number
IS.72-2016

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Record createdDecember 11, 2015
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