Cheval turc
Cheval turc places a horse and its attendant at the center of its subject.[1] Kerry Taylor Auctions describes a man wearing a turban leading the animal and attributes the drawing to Christiane Vauzelles.[1] Its 2017 catalogue explicitly states that the design was introduced in 1969, providing a named auction source for a date previously supported chiefly by dealer descriptions.[1]
The silk square has been independently recorded in several colors.[1][4][5] Kerry Taylor measured its example at 89 centimeters square.[1] Chorley's catalogued another in blue and green, measuring 88 by 88 centimeters, also under Vauzelles's name and with the date 1969.[4] Il Ponte's 2013 description records an ivory ground and a brick-colored border.[5] These are descriptions of particular surviving scarves rather than a complete account of the original colorways.[1][4][5]
Other auction records broaden the material evidence.[2][3] Dorotheum catalogued a version containing 65 percent cashmere and 35 percent silk, measuring 85 by 81 centimeters, with gold scrollwork on a sea-green ground.[2] Artcurial described an elongated scarf assembled from two printed silk squares under the same title and artist attribution.[3] That entry establishes an assembled object, not a separately documented original rectangular issue.[3]
The year 1969 is therefore repeated by several independent auction houses, but these notices do not identify the archival source of their dating.[1][2][3][4][5] Nor do they establish a specific historical print as Vauzelles's model or connect the design to a named annual Hermès theme.[1][2][3][4][5] Their strongest contribution is the consistent attribution and the record of individual objects in different materials and colors.[1][2][3][4][5]
Still open: The exact signature printed on the silk remains unverified. The proposed connection to Johann Elias Ridinger has not been established from an artist or museum source. The catalogues do not provide a complete reissue chronology.
Chocs en plumes
Chocs en plumes is attributed to Christiane Vauzelles by the Crédit Municipal de Paris, whose catalogue describes equestrian jousting in red, blue, salmon and gold.[6] The example has a wide navy border and is measured at 88 by 89 centimeters.[6] The notice explicitly identifies printed silk twill.[6]
Artcurial provides a separate chronological reference.[7] Its lot description dates the drawing to 1993 and records a reissue in 1996, attributing it to C. Vauzelles.[7] The offered scarf is predominantly navy.[7] These dates are auction-house statements about the design and its later issue, not a production date established from an original label or seasonal catalogue.[7]
The Élysée catalogue describes another square under the same title, with knights, mounted figures and plumes surrounded by a chain-pattern border.[8] It gives the nominal format as approximately 90 centimeters.[8] That independent description supports the equestrian tournament subject and the importance of decorative costume within it.[6][8]
A further Great Western Auctions entry records a dark-blue silk example.[9] This adds another object-level description without expanding the chronology.[9] Across the catalogues, the consistent elements are the title, silk material and tournament imagery; a full record of all editions and colorways remains absent.[6][7][8][9]
Still open: The exact artist signature and a contemporary first-edition record were not verified. Artcurial documents a 1993 drawing and a 1996 reissue but does not establish every later version. No specific historical tournament or annual-theme connection is assigned here.
Châteaux-jardins
Châteaux-jardins is attributed to C. Vauzelles in an Artcurial catalogue describing a printed silk square.[10] Its composition features the Neptune basin together with the names of well-known French châteaux.[10] The catalogued example is predominantly turquoise and red.[10]
The Artcurial description dates the object to approximately 1960.[10] A dealer lists an example as circa 1963 and uses the artist name Christiane Vauzelle without a final s.[11] These approximate dates do not establish a precise inaugural edition and should not be forced into an exact chronology.[10][11]
The dealer records a 90-centimeter square with a green border and gives Paris Versailles as an alternative name.[11] Artcurial uses Châteaux Jardins, so the status of the alternative title remains a secondary assertion.[10][11] The documented basin and château names give the subject a firmer description than the title alone.[10]
Leland Little, discussing another design by Christiane Vauzelles, reports that she did not sign her scarf work.[12] That statement is useful context but is not a direct examination of this square.[12] The artist attribution here therefore rests on cataloguing rather than a signature transcribed from the object.[10][11]
Still open: The exact printed signature and inaugural release remain unconfirmed. The consulted records do not establish a complete reissue history or a documented annual-theme connection.
Sources and limits
- Cheval Turc, lot 28 · Kerry Taylor Auctions2017-12-10
- Cheval Turc · Dorotheum; Carlos Sonsalla2026-10-01
- Cheval Turc, lot 21 · Artcurial
- Cheval Turc, lot 1211 · Chorley’s2017-07-18
- Cheval Turc, lot 617 · Il Ponte2013-11-28
- Chocs en plumes, lot 28 · Crédit Municipal de Paris2025-04-05
- Chocs en Plumes, lot 1 · Artcurial
- Catalogue, lot 154 · Élysée2026-03
- Chocs en Plumes, lot 444 · Great Western Auctions2026-01-28
- Châteaux Jardins, lot 361 A · Artcurial
- Châteaux Jardins by Christiane Vauzelle · 1stDibs, vendeur parisien
- Two silk scarves, lot 3036 · Leland Little2023-06-15
Separate catalogues do not always prove independent dating. A date given for a design is not assumed to be its first edition unless a source says so.