Musings On Impose Ta Chance

Rene Char (1907-1988) was called the greatest poet of all time by writer

Albert Camus .

He was part of the surrealist movement, among his contemporaries were

Andre Breton, Paul Eulard, and Pablo Picaso.

His poetry emphasized hope in the face of struggle, which would later serve him well

in his efforts as a resistance leader against the Nazis in WWII.

Artist Valerie Dawlat-Dumoulin takes words from a poem by Char for her design,

Impose ta Chance.

A line from one of Char's poems is quietly inscribed among the rocks of this design.

The words read:

"Impose ta chance, serre ton bonheur et va vers to risque. A te regarder, il s'habitueront"

Loosely translates to:

Impose your luck, use your good will and to your risk,

a look at you they will get used to.

I take that to mean that we are what we dream,

we must dream big, believe in ourselves and others will believe in us.

This past year has had historical depths not just for our county but for the world.

Many people need hope in the face of struggle during these times.

The past few months have been no different, we have all been a part of

historical moments, that will be discussed for generations to come,

long after we are gone.

This next week may just prove to be among one of the most

defining moments in this nations history.

And so I dedicate the musings on this particular design

to the week that lies ahead.

Musings On The Muse Of Annie Faivre's Rencontre Ocean

There is a new aquarium in San Francisco at the California Academy of Arts and Sciences. The underwater displays are all updated placing the observer, deep in the midsts of the undersea world. Recently one particular exhibit looked very familiar, and then I realized that I was viewing the living contents of the central portion of Annie Faivre's Rencontre Ocean. I wonder where she was when the muse for this design struck her?

Here I have overlayed a picture of the habitat at the aquarium in San Francisco over a picture of my Rencontre Ocean. Viola! The undersea world of Rencontre Ocean.

Hermes Halloween Greetings

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Musings On "Le Geographe"

In 1992 Hermes issued a design by artist Sandra Laroche titled appropriately enough "Le Geographe". The scarf takes it's title from a French ship bearing the same name. Le Geographe was a 30 + gun corvette, originally commissioned the Galatee. Her name, as well as the name of the sister ship which would accompany her were changed right before the historic expedition she would undertake.

Captain Nicolas Thomas Baudin

Captain Nicolas Baudin had appealed to General Napoleon Bonaparte to be allowed to command a scientific expedition which would conduct a scientific examination of Terres Australes ( Australia) and possibly find an opening for a French settlement.

The Institute of National France sponsored the expedition. On October 19, 1800 Captain Baudin left La Harve, France with two ships the Geographe, and the Naturaliste. There were approximately 100 people aboard each. There were 23 scientists aboard each of the ships, astronomers, geographers, mineralogists, geologists, hydrographers, gardeners, botanists, zoologists, and a pharmacist. There were also portrait, natural history and landscape artists on board. Each discipline had two or three representatives that were spread between the two ships.

Francois Augustine Peron

Among the many scientific professionals under Baudin's command was a zoologist trainee by the name of Francois A. Peron. Peron had saught to join Baudin's expedition after a tragic end to a love affair. He had wanted to serve as an anthropological observer, instead he was appointed zoologist trainee, later in the voyage his position would be elevated to a prominent position of sole zoologist after others were lost along the voyage due to death and desertion.

Historically Peron would become famous for documenting the voyage after the death of Captain Baudin. But most importantly with the help of fellow shipmate, artist Charles Alexandre Lesueur, Peron gathered over 100,000 zoological specimens. The most comprehensive Australian natural history collection to date.

Charles-Alexandre Lesueur

Charles A. Lesueur was employed for the main job of illustrating Baudin's log books. As the journey progressed Lesueur became more of a specialist in drawing animals. This is because he became very close friends with the zoologist Péron. Péron was disliked a great deal by Baudin and made many enemies during the voyage. However, he and Lesueur became firm friends. Under Péron's guidance, Lesueur learnt the art of taxidermy, and the skills for trapping and hunting animals. At other times Péron would dance about and play the fool to distract the Indigenous Australians while Lesueur sketched them. Lesueur also learnt from Péron the importance of colour and paying particular attention to detail. Apart from completing drawings of many animals, he produced a variety of landscapes often including aspects of Indigenous Australian culture.

On July 18, 1801 similar expedition had set sail from Great Britian.

Matthew Flinders

Having been given command of the vessel "The Investigator" Matthew Flinders set sail with a group of scientists, his orders were to chart and map the coast of Australia.

On December 6, 1801, Flinders reached Australia at Cape Leeuwin, and proceeded to begin surveying Australian coastline moving southward along it's shores.

On 8 April 1802 while sailing east Flinders sighted the Le Geographe, a French corvette commanded by the explorer Nicolas Baudin. Both men of science, Flinders and Baudin met and exchanged details of their discoveries, at what would later be named Encounter Bay.

This design is a jacquard. Hermes no longer produces jacquards supposedly having found them too expensive to produce today. When you wear a jacquard the designs woven into the silk catch and reflect the light. In this case kangaroos, and anchors dance and vie for the right to shimmer in the design.

Musings on Jonques Et Sampans

One should never spend too much time with a scarf that one is thinking of culling from their collection and selling, it just might not end up where you had planned.

So the story went with my best laid plans of this morning. I have had Jonques et Sampans for sometime now and not worn it. I kept thinking that I would but then did not and it kind of sat there with the others never saying a word until today.

I would love to know what inspired famed french illustrator Françoise de la Perrière; when he mused upon the design "Jonques et Sampan". Had he actually taken his in his inspiration while viewing Junks in their original setting in some far off Asian setting, or had he been inspired by the artwork of another such as shown in the ancient Japanese Ukiyo-e woodblock pictured above.

I actually spent quite a lot of time traveling in the Orient, while I lived in Japan. The massive floating hulls of the Junks are a sight to be seen. That was what had originally drawn me to this piece. Today I took a deeper closer look into its watery depths. I have always considered some of the other colorways of this design a bit garish, preferring the subtlety of this sea-glass colored version. I purchased it about the same time as I purchased a "Geisha" in a rather similar colorway. I realize now that I was reminiscing and missing my time spent in the orient and that is what probably prompted the purchase of both designs.

An Hermes Scarf Holds A Love Story Within It's Silken Threads

The greatest love stories are often tragic. But how many times are they associated with a scarf? In Medieval times a lady would often tie her scarf around the armour of her favored knight, a sign of adoration.

The story by Chhengiz Aytmatov, "The girl With The Red Scarf" was translated by french poet Luis Aragon who called it the "world's greatest love story..."

If we were to truly look back in time many a heart struck gentleman has formally stated his love by the gift of a scarf to the lady of his affection. But how many of those moments, or stories have been preserved in time, only to be rediscovered at a later time?

I had the privilege of such an occurrence, when years ago I purchased a lovely old Hermes scarf, simply because it was a rare design, and I was attracted to the simplicity of the piece.

Think about your favorite or even the greatest love story that you remember hearing. Are they not often tragic?

I was gifted to be the person to whom a great though tragic love story was passed to, preserved in the silk of an Hermes scarf.

"En Vente Chez Hermes a Paris"

The scarf had come to the person from whom I received it, from her Great-Aunt. The scarf had come to her in its box inside of its original tissue with a note. The note read:

"A very special Hermes-Paris scarf from my love Gus. Worn 2-3 timeswith him, never to be worn again. My beloved Gus died in 1961."

The person I received the scarf from explained the note this way:

"My aunt was a career woman who never married. She had this love affair with Gus for 15 years! He was Catholic and his wife would not give him a divorce. He separated from his wife and was working in New York City when my aunt met him. He had been separated for 3 years. They each had their own apartment, but they were together for 15 years. He died of a heart attack in 1961 in my aunt's arms. My aunt died in 1969."

Sometimes I don Gus' memento of his love for this lovely woman, wrap myself up in my favorite cashmere sweater, make myself a cup of tea, light some candles, grab a good book of poetry, and let the threads cast their magic of memory of a tale of strong yet tragic love, that has stood the test of time, and lived on even after the lovers are gone.

Musings On Hermes Scarves