A striking framed Hermès 90 ‘Quadrige’ silk square by Pierre Peron, circa 1973

A striking framed Hermès 90 ‘Quadrige’ silk square by Pierre Peron, circa 1973, of high quality heavy silk showing two panels of interlocking yellow and navy horse’s heads, each wearing a white bridle and with its flowing mane overlapping the border, two lozenges stating ‘Quadrige’ and ‘Hermès-Paris’.  French, circa 1973.

Published:    Shown in three other colourways in Geneviève Fontan ‘Carres d’Art: Dictionaire Illustré des Carrés Hermès’, Paris 2024, p200.

                       Frontispiece: ‘The Hermès Scarf: History & Mystique’ by Nadine Coleno.

Footnote: Hermès is renowned for its exquisite scarves, with many collectors on the hunt for unique and different motifs. The wonderful ‘Quadridge’ motif is considered by Hermès expert, Genevieve Fontan, to be one of the rarer designs. It was first introduced in 1973, designed by Pierre Peron, with a variety of different styles and variations being reissued from 2010 onwards, these include ‘Quadridge Au Fil’ and ‘Quadridge Costumé’.

This scarf is a ‘Quadridge II’ to give it its formal name. The design is based on a ‘quadridge’ or ‘quadriga’, an ancient four-horse, two-wheel chariot used for racing. This style is both elegant in its simplicity and really resonates with the brands’ equestrian history.

This motif has been popping up ever since, with the ‘Mises et Relances Quadrige’ change tray available this season, to a limited edition perfume (24 Faubourg Eau de Parfum) brought out in 2012, and the image was used as the frontispiece for the reference book ‘The Hermès Scarf: History & Mystique’ by Nadine Coleno.