Artwork
'Clou de Girofle'
'Clou de Girofle' is a drawing by Carven. It dates from 1951 and is held in the collection of the Palais Galliera - Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1951, “Clou de Girofle” is a drawing attributed to the French fashion house Carven. The work is part of the collection of the Museum of Ethnography and presents a single figure rendered in swift, gestural lines.
Subject & Meaning
The image depicts a woman dressed in a plain brown outfit consisting of a fitted jacket, a long flared skirt, and a simple belt with a floral motif. Her hair is pulled back and she stands on a few steps, one hand holding the hem of the skirt, conveying a poised, confident stance.
Technique & Style
Executed with loose, rapid strokes, the drawing resembles a fashion illustration intended as a quick study rather than a finished composition. Minimal detail is offered beyond the essential contours of clothing and the figure’s posture, emphasizing movement and form over texture.
History & Provenance
The piece bears the signature “Clou de Girofle,” the French term for clove, which references the name of the Carven fashion house. It entered the Museum of Ethnography’s holdings at an unspecified date and remains catalogued under the museum’s fashion and textile collection.
Artist & collection
Artist
These delicate ink-on-paper drawings capture the quiet poetry of everyday things: pinecones, reeds, apples.
Museum
Palais Galliera - Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris
Continue through works from the same source collection.
