Pair of Hermes Equestrian Horse Head Candlestick Holders
View Similar Items
Pair of Hermes Equestrian Horse Head Candlestick Holders
About the Item
- Creator:Hermès (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 2.5 in (6.35 cm)Diameter: 4.75 in (12.07 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: FWO6491stDibs: 1304259193149
Hermès
For Hermès, what began as a maker of leather equestrian goods for European noblemen would eventually grow into one of the most storied fashion labels in the world. In 1837, German-born French entrepreneur Thierry Hermès opened a saddle and harness purveyor in Paris. Gradually, the house extended into accessories and luggage for its riders, and today, in paying homage to its origins, the family-run luxury brand resurfaces horse motifs in everything from clothing and modernist jewelry to pillows and handbags.
The first top-handled bag ever produced by Hermès was the Haut à courroies, which made its debut in 1892. A tall bag secured with a folded leather flap (fastened with bridle-inspired straps), it was designed to transport riding boots and a harness. As the world made the switch from horse to automobile, the bag adapted, becoming a multifunctional travel satchel instead of a designated saddlebag. Today, 120 years later, the HAC remains in Hermès’s line — and its distinctive flap and clasping straps have laid the groundwork for some of the house’s other iconic bags.
In the 1930s, Robert Dumas (son-in-law to Émile-Maurice Hermès, Thierry’s grandson) designed a smaller, trapezoidal take on the flap bag with a handle and two side straps. Later, actress Grace Kelly, then engaged to Prince Rainier of Monaco, is said to have used one of these bags to conceal her pregnancy during the 1950s. Because she was photographed constantly, the coverage catapulted her handbag to international popularity. In 1977, Hermès officially renamed the model for her, and the Kelly bag was born. Each Kelly bag takes between 18 and 25 hours to produce, and its 680 hand stitches owe solely to one Hermès artisan.
Robert Dumas was also responsible for another one of the brand’s most iconic offerings: the launch of its first silk scarf on the occasion of Hermès’s 100th anniversary in 1937. Based on a woodblock designed by Dumas and printed on Chinese silk, the accessory was an immediate hit.
Today, vintage Hermès scarves, typically adorned in rich colors and elaborate patterns, serve many functions, just as they did back then. Well-heeled women wear it on their heads, around their necks and, in a genius piece of cross-promotion, tied to the straps of their Hermès bags. Kelly even once used one as a sling for her broken arm.
In 1981, Robert Dumas’s son Jean-Louis Dumas, then Hermès chairman, found himself sitting next to French actress and musician Jane Birkin on a plane, where she was complaining about finding a suitable carryall for the necessary accoutrements of motherhood. After the two travelers were properly introduced, Birkin helped design Jean-Louis’s most famous contribution to the Hermès canon: the Birkin bag, a roomy, square catchall with the HAC’s trademark leather flap top and the addition of a lock and key. Owing to the brand’s legendary commitment to deft, handcrafted construction, the Birkin is an investment that is coveted by collectors everywhere.
While the Kelly and Birkin may be standouts, gracing the arms of everyone from royal heiresses to hip-hop stars in the past few decades, the handbags are but a small part of Hermès’s fashion offerings. Since the 1920s, the brand has produced some of the most desirable leather goods in the world. There’s the Constance bag, a favorite of Jacqueline Kennedy, the recently relaunched 1970s-era Evelyne and, on the vintage market, a slew of designs dating back to the 1920s.
Good design never goes out of style. Find a variety of vintage Hermès handbags, day dresses, shoes and more on 1stDibs.
- Pair of English Silver Candle Holders or CandlesticksLocated in Austin, TXA handsome pair of English candlestick holders of fine plate silver featuring a relief with a neo-classical design.Category
20th Century English Candlesticks
MaterialsMetal, Silver Plate
- Pair of Antique Silver Plated Corinthian CandlesticksLocated in Suffolk, GBPair of antique silver plated Corinthian candlesticks having pretty shaped removable sconces to the top and supported by attractive circular re...Category
Antique Early 1900s English Edwardian Sheffield and Silverplate
MaterialsSilver Plate
- Silver-Plate Moveable Modernist Candlesticks Pair of VintageLocated in North Miami, FLThis pair of silver plate vintage candlesticks are very modern looking. They have been professionally polished. The shorter one can fit in over the other one or remain on its own. Th...Category
Vintage 1970s American Modern Sheffield and Silverplate
MaterialsSilver Plate
- Pair of Antique English Edwardian Silver Plated CandlesticksLocated in Hamilton, OntarioThis pair of antique silver plated candlesticks are hallmarked "W.S.&Co." which we are unable to identify specifically, but believe t...Category
Early 20th Century English Edwardian Sheffield and Silverplate
MaterialsMetal
- Small Pair of Quality Antique Victorian Sheffield Plated CandlesticksLocated in Suffolk, GBSmall pair of quality antique Victorian Sheffield plated candlesticks having a quality small pair of antique Victorian Sheffield plated candlesticks with ornate decoration H 14 x...Category
Antique 19th Century English Victorian Candlesticks
MaterialsSheffield Plate
- Pair of Adam Style Neoclassical Candlesticks, 19th CenturyLocated in valatie, NYA pair of Adam style neoclassical candlesticks, 19th century. With fluted tapering sides decorated with swags, rams heads, and leaf garlands topped with bows. The rectangular bases w...Category
Antique 1850s English Adam Style Sheffield and Silverplate
MaterialsSilver Plate
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The Hermès Passe-Guide Bag Might Not Be as Well Known as the Birkin or Kelly, But It’s Every Bit as Chic
Find out why this under-the-radar piece is so exceptional.
How to Spot a Fake Hermès Birkin Bag
The iconic Birkin bag is much coveted — and often copied. Find out how to tell the real deal from a convincing fake. Of course, you don't have to worry about this on 1stDibs, where every seller is highly vetted.