A portrait of François Roques, the first outside artistic advisor to the renowned Fashion House Hermès, will be offered in the Russian Sale on 8th June at Bonhams, New Bond Street.
Painted by Marie Vassilieff in 1930, the portrait is estimated to sell for £50,000 – 80,000. During the 1920s François Roques produced designs for a huge range of Hermès items including leather cushions, stationery, belt buckles, hat trimmings, handbags and luggage. His craftsmanship was apparent in the simple, yet beautiful and modern patterns, in particular the renowned ‘L’amouret l’argent’ pattern which was reproduced on lacquer cigarettes cases, playing card boxes, lighters, silver dog tags and the famous radiator cap for cars.
With Roques’s designs, Hermès enjoyed great success at the 1930 Salon des Décorateurs due to his boundless modern, yet sensitive creativity.
In the portrait offered by Bonhams, Vassilieff has depicted Roques holding a car mascot, demonstrating the simplicity and modernity of his designs. The mascot is defined by its outline and the space within and, in the same way Vassilieff has built the composition with clean lines and colour tones to present the designer and his philosophy of design.
www.bonhams.com/Russian