Hermes Scarf Splendeur des Maharajas II Detail Excellent Condition

A highly sought-after and rare scarf, spotless, and in the most vibrant and joyous of colourways. This is the ‘detail’ version of ‘Splendeur des Maharajas’, originally designed by Cathy Baschet in 1996 when it was names simply ‘Maharajas’,  subsequently re-released in 2002 as ‘Splendeurs des Maharajas’, with elephants replacing a turbaned gentleman in each corner, and the detail version released a year later. While this scarf feels unworn, it was creased, so we have pressed it. Condition 10/10.

A possible interpretation is that, central to the design, is Scheherazade, the renowned female storyteller, and main character of the Middle Eastern folk tale collection ‘One Thousand and One Nights’ (also known as The Arabian Nights). In the story, she marries a sultan who vows to execute a new wife each morning; she saves her life by telling him an unfinished story every night, compelling him to spare her to hear the conclusion the next day, a pattern that repeats for 1,001 nights. and courtiers .  Scheherazade (or Shahrazad) means “child of the city” or “noble lineage,” symbolizing wisdom and storytelling.

Hermes writes of the 1996 design:

Here is the tribute rendered to the turban by the pencil. Playing around with chronology, three centuries of history are squeezed into a shimmering blur of Mogul art. Tamerlane is not far off. In his princely palace the lordly sovereign of Hindustan strokes a leopard whilst the heady fragrance of sandalwood is stirred by the motions of a fan. Indifferent to the dancing girls, elephants and mahouts lend their ample weight to this oriental fantasy

More recently, the scarf has come out in a ‘finesse’ version, reminiscent of an engraving on a mono-coloured carre.

Baschet created a variety of scarves for Hermes, including Azulejos, Les Beaux Jours de Bonsai, Le Fleuve Sacre, Histoire des Cartes a Jouer XVe au XXe 1949, Oiseaux de l’Inde et d’Himalaya, Parures des Maharajas, Les Petits Princes, Qalamdam, the classic Qu’Import le Flacon, and Trois Feuilles. Subject matter and styles are incredibly varied, demonstrating the amazing versatility of this artist, and her wide-ranging interests and geographical and historical awareness.