LONDON.- Hermès and Christie’s announced a further collaboration providing a unique opportunity to acquire an exceptional and unique handbag. Celebrating the Esencia del Cuero exhibition which opens in Madrid on 24 September 2013, Couli Jobert, creative director at Hermès leather, has designed a special version of the iconic ‘Passe-Guide’ handbag representing Spanish culture. Christie’s will conduct a time-based online-only auction of the handbag which will run during and after the exhibition. The auction will begin on 7 October 2013 and the bag will be sold to the highest bidder on 21 October 2013. The proceeds of the sale will be donated to the Museo Nacional del Prado. This sale follows the successful partnership between Hermès and Christie's in 2012, when four one-of-a-kind versions of the ‘Passe-Guide’ handbag representing England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales were created for the Leather Forever exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, selling for more than three times the pre-sale estimate.

The Hermès ‘Passe-Guide’ handbag was chosen for this project as a celebration of the equestrian world. Its metallic fittings, a true expression of craftsmanship, were inspired by the harness-making tradition. The bag’s name and clasp refer to the ring at the front of Roman chariots that kept the reins of the carriage in place. Elegant and playful, this original ‘Passe-Guide’ bag is a variation, in black Box calfskin and embroidered silk satin, on the model designed in 1975 by Henri d’Origny. It is a unique design, which evokes the rhythmic steps of the harnessed horses at the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art in Jerez, accompanied by the rustle of dresses, trains and ‘suits of lights’ that pervade the paintings of Velázquez and Goya. It features the motif of the ‘En désordre’ silk scarf, an adaptation of Hermès' legendary ‘Brides de Gala’ design, hand-embroidered with beads and sequins.

Christie’s continues to develop initiatives that increase global accessibility to the art market. The special online-only sale of this exquisite Hermès handbag builds upon the success of the company’s inaugural ‘Online-Only’ sale held in December 2011 as part of Christie’s series of auctions dedicated to The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor. The online auction format held over a number of days will allow Hermès connoisseurs and handbag collectors around the world to have a chance to view and bid on this one-of-a-kind handbag in their own time and from the comfort of their own home or office.

The handbag will be unveiled at the launch of Hermès’ Esencia del Cuero exhibition which will be open to the public from 25 September until 13 October at the Galeria de Cristal at Palacio de Correos, Madrid. This exhibition follows those held in Shanghai, Rome and London and celebrates Hermès’ relationship with leather.

The Handbag
Originally created by Henri d’Origny in 1975, the ‘Passe-Guide’ remains one of the most sought-after handbags. Couli Jobert's stunning and unexpected one-off is hand-made using time-honoured techniques in the Hermès workshop in Paris, where one craftsman has made each bag from start to finish.

This ‘Passe-Guide’ bag is made of black box calfskin with a front flap embroidered with black beads and sequins on silk satin. It features the motif of the carré 'En desordre' and evokes the work of great Spanish painters and toreador's embroidered clothes.