Let’s reverse the time machine’s hands and travel back to the 2002 Hermès fantasyland. Hermès focused on the annual theme “Year Of The Hand” and launched most of the carré designs related to craftsmanship. Craftsmanship is a skill or dexterity exhibited to create things with hands. The Hermès carré designs affirm the contribution of craftsmanship in different aspects worldwide, such as Hermès leather, costumes, embroidery, jewellery and watches, ceramic painting, wood carving, music and opera etc.
The Hermès carré creations with passion, care, and attention to detail; its achievement can stand the test of time. Several Hermès carrés from 2002 have become the most recognisable and collectable items. To date, they are still being earnestly pursued. The ultimate carré Turandot designed by the Japanese artist Natsuno Hidaka was among the Hermès carré creations from the Fall/Winter collection 2002. Hermès reissued the special edition of Turandot when the Charlotte NC store opened in 2007. The description from the Hermès booklet stated: This is a famous Persian legend from the 12th century. The Princess is very demanding. She desires a husband who will be at the same time handsome, brave and spirited. The winner of the ensuing contest then takes his place by her in the centre of the scarf, from where she reigns of China. Help by the dragon, that imperial beast; The phoenix, the Emperor’s mascots; the lion, guarantor of success; and the Tortoise, champion of what lasts.
The three-act opera “Turandot” was created by the Italian opera master Giacomo Puccini (December 22 1858 – November 29 1924). It is one of the most renowned and his final works. The story of “Turandot” was taken from a Persian collection of stories called The Book of One Thousand and One Days. Turandot is a Persian word and name that means “daughter of Turan”. The opera’s version of the story was set in China, and it is a Western work based on an Eastern legend.
In 1804, the British diplomat Sir John Barrow recorded in his book Travel in China about the song, “Jasmine flower seems to be one of the most popular folk songs in China”. Around 1910, Puccini received a music box from a traveller which consisted of the Chinese folk tune “Jasmine”. The more Puccini listened to “Jasmine”, the more he liked it, and he decided to use this piece in the opera “Turandot”. Since then, “Jasmine” has become the motif for the Princess. Puccini stopped his affectionate pen around the second scene of the third act and left the opera unfinished at his death in 1924. Franco Alfano completed the two final scenes from Puccini’s sketches in 1926. The opera “Turandot” was first performed on April 25, 1926, conducted by Arturo Toscanini, the most prestigious Italian musician in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Photo Courtesy of RCA Victor Red Seal
Since “Turandot” premiered in 1926, more than 100 versions have been performed worldwide. At the 70th Anniversary, “Turandot” returned to the place where the legend is based at last. In September 1998, the opera “Turandot” was staged outside the Taimiao Hall in Beijing’s Forbidden City, conducted by Zubin Mehta and directed by the most famous Chinese Director, Zhang Yimou. The Forbidden City is the palace of 24 emperors in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The opera presented an extravagant melange of East and West.
Photo Courtesy of dmp
The debate over which version of the ending is better is still open. Although the original legend was based on the Yuan Dynasty, the Japanese artist Natsuno Hidaka depicted a new chapter for “Turandot” with rich Chinese auspicious culture. Also, the artist combined the elements of the Chinese Qing Dynasty and Japanese styles in the Hermès carré.
Auspicious culture is one of the Chinese traditional cultures, representing the Chinese people's wish for a better life with blessings and expectations. The six Chinese characters “Fu (福）, Lu （禄）, Shou （寿）, Xi （喜）, Cai （财), Ji（吉）” represent good fortune, prosperity or high rank, longevity, happiness, wealth and luck. These auspicious characters are commonly used individually or with homophonic proverbs.
Photo courtesy of Christels
The background in the carré is a Qing Dynasty style carved wooden window decorated with traditional Chinese auspicious motifs and symbols. The iconic great gong is engraved with the title of the carré “Turandot” in both English and Traditional Chinese at the centre. The auspicious cloud patterns embraced Princess Turandot and Prince Calàf. They wear Qing Dynasty Royal customs and are surrounded by gigantic lotus flowers and leaves.
In ACT I of the opera version, Calàf was determined to try his luck at the Princess’s challenge. He stuck the great gong three times while announcing he would take the challenge.
The names of Turandot’s courtiers Ping, Pang, and Pong were inspired by the various sounds while striking the gong in particular ways with a short stick. In ACT II, inside the courtiers’ private room, poring over palace documents and presiding over endless rituals. Ping, Pang, and Pong lament Turandot’s bloody reign, hoping that love would conquer her and restore peace. Their thoughts wandered to their peaceful country homes with lotus ponds. The gong appears numerous times throughout Puccini’s opera version. The artist Natsuno Hidaka depicted the characters and elements from the legend metaphorically and subtly in a circle. An endless circle and lotus flower pond intimate completion, satisfaction and peace.
Photo courtesy of Peking Museum
According to ancient legends, having the auspicious Lingzhi mushroom can keep immortal or longevity. The Ruyi that Prince Calàf carries is carved in the shape of Lingzhi mushroom and decorated with large precious gemstones to symbolise power and longevity. The word Ruyi (如意）means “as one wishes.” In Chinese folklore, the Ruyi serves as either a ceremonial sceptre or symbolising power and good fortune. The Ruyi symbols with endless vines on the wooden window are attached to the gong from all directions, meaning Wan Shi Ru Yi（万事如意） “may all your wishes come true.”
At the four corners of the carrés are the dragon, phoenix, lion and Tortoise. These four auspicious beasts are legendary creatures in Chinese mythology and folklore.
The Chinese dragon symbolises potent and auspicious power, strength and good luck. It particularly controls water, rainfall, typhoons, and floods. Emperors of China assumed they were the descendants of dragons. The dragon was associated with the Emperors and represented as a symbol of imperial power.
The Chinese phoenix, the mascot of the Emperors of China, is an immortal bird that rarely appears. Once it appears, it will bring good luck. In ancient and modern Chinese culture, the phoenix is widely used in wedding customs, jewellery and decorations, along with the dragon. The Chinese people believe the dragon-and-phoenix combination symbolises blissful relations between husband and wife. Long (dragon) Feng (phoenix) Cheng Xiang（龙凤呈祥） means “prosperity lay ahead and will be brought by the dragon and the phoenix”.
The guardian lion concept originated in Chinese Buddhism. A pair of stone-made imperial guardian lion statues traditionally set in front of the imperial palaces and other structures. The Chinese people believed that the guardian lions would protect the building from harmful spiritual influences.
The Tortoise represents patience, knowledge, wise, prosperity, and longevity in Chinese culture because of its slow movement, sturdiness and long lifespan. The artist Natsuno Hidaka depicted a long-live tortoise in Japanese style with moss and aquatic plants growing on its body. The green plants flutter like satin ribbons when the Tortoise moves slowly in the water.
Traditional Chinese auspicious motifs cover a wide range of themes, and plants are a recurring theme in Chinese art and poetry. Above the guardian lion is a bottle gourd with the Chinese character （囍）. Xi （喜）means happiness, and Xi (囍) means double happiness, commonly used as a decoration symbol of marriage. Hulu (葫芦) sounds similar to Fulu（福禄）in Mandarin Chinese, which means good fortune and prosperity. A bunch of tangerine fruit is hanging above the bottle gourd. The tangerine （桔）sounds like luck (吉) in Da Ji Da Li ( 大吉大利）, meaning the most favourable auspices.
Below the gong, the auspicious Magpies are ascending the plum blossom (Xi Que Deng Mei 喜鹊登梅） to announce the good news. Magpie on plum blossom is a traditional theme for the New Year. The Xi (喜), Mei (梅）in Xi Que Deng Mei (喜鹊登梅）and Xi (喜), Mei (眉）in Xi Shang Mei Shao（喜上眉梢） are also has a homophonic meaning the happiness appears in one’s face.
The White Lily Bai He (百合）above the gong symbolises Bai Nian Hao He (百年好合）, which means a hundred years of harmonious marriage and long-lasting love.
On the top row between the phoenix and dragon are the Peony （Mu Dan 牡丹), Osmanthus （Gui Hua桂花）and Hibiscus mutabilis, also known as the Confederate rose （Mu Fu Rong木芙蓉). Peonies are known as the “king of flowers” due to their glorious beauty. Peonies usually symbolise love, romance and prosperity. The pronunciation of the Gui (桂）in Osmanthus and Rong （蓉）in Confederate Rose are as same as Gui （贵）and Rong （荣）in Rong Hua Fu Gui （富贵荣华), which has a homophonic meaning wealth （Cai 财）, honour （Lu 禄）and splendour （Rong 荣）.
The peach is a common symbol in Chinese art that symbolises immortality or longevity (寿）. Based on Chinese folk legends, the immortality peaches ripen every thousand years. In Chinese culture, people serve longevity peach buns made from lotus seed paste and flour at birthday parties.
The seedpods of lotus flowers and burst-open pomegranates with branches and leaves symbolise fertility. The family wishes for numerous offspring and rise to fame and glory.
Hermès carré lovers appreciate finding pleasure in the carré product. The opera master Giacomo Puccini and his student Franco Alfano wrote the opera version of “Turandot” by hand. The artist Natsuno Hidaka depicted a happy and peaceful ending for the legend of “Turandot” by hand. Hermès transformed the drawing into a physical wearable carré by hand. All of them develop a unique relationship with their materials and preserve the traditional craftsmanship in different industries - the great artists have left splendid strokes for the history of human art.
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