THE CALIFORNIA COLLECTOR HAS AMASSED HUNDREDS OF THE BRAND’S SPLASHY PORCELAIN PIECES
By Rhonda Reinhart • Photography by Josh David Jordan
Anyone who steps inside Victoria Beloff’s Los Angeles home knows in an instant where the collector’s loyalties lie. The first giveaway? The telltale orange boxes stacked throughout her “Hermès room,” an entire space dedicated to the French luxury goods maison. Hermès handbags, pillows and charms in a rainbow of hues sit alongside vintage Hermès posters, rows of Hermès books and a smattering of Hermès-themed contemporary art. But it’s the walls of lacquered and glass shelves that reveal Beloff’s main fixation. Stretching from floor to ceiling, the sleek shelves teem with vintage Hermès ashtrays – porcelain beauties adorned with images of horses, hunting dogs, soldiers, sailboats and other iconic symbols of the storied brand that began as a humble harness and saddle purveyor in 1837.
Originally from Ukraine, Beloff moved to the United States in the early 1990s and launched a career in finance. She started collecting Hermès handbags and scarves soon after, but it wasn’t until about 15 years ago that she discovered the delights of Hermès ashtrays. “It started with one piece, then two pieces, and then it became a very interesting obsession,” she says, noting that her assemblage has grown to more than 400 ashtrays. “I’ve been told by numerous sources that I have the largest collection of Hermès ashtrays in the world.”
Beloff’s collecting journey is one part treasure hunt and one part mystery as no one outside Hermès knows how many ashtrays the house has produced throughout its history. But she says that’s all part of the chase: “Sometimes it can be frustrating because I don’t know what my end goal is, but it’s great fun. It’s something that keeps me up and motivated.”
Below, the collector dishes on the pieces that began her ashtray fascination, the ones that keep her on the hunt and why she will forever fancy Hermès.
Do you have a favorite ashtray in your collection?
Yes, quite a few. Philippe Ledoux was one of the famous designers who created a lot of Hermès scarves, so I love all the ashtrays with Philippe Ledoux drawings on them – I have probably eight or nine. Obviously, with Hermès being a horse company, I have a lot of ashtrays with horse motifs. And with horses comes hunting. Hermès produced lots of ashtrays in the 1970s and ’80s with all kinds of hunting dogs, so those are some of my favorites.
Why were you drawn to collecting ashtrays?
They’re very colorful and beautiful. And they’re like paintings – really, truly like paintings. You go to a museum, and you see Impressionists, and you try to figure out what kind of emotion is the artist trying to get out of you with this painting? It’s the same with ashtrays. Some are very straightforward. They show the horse, for example. But some ashtrays are much more complicated, and you’re trying to understand: What is it? And how do you feel about it? If you like it, why do you like it? Is it bright and uplifting? Or is it beautifully designed? So, it’s not just the pieces I have. It’s the emotions behind them.
Where do you find your ashtrays?
I go to auction houses, eBay, little antiques stores, flea markets – everywhere I can think of where I might get my hands on them. I also find them through different brokers and dealers all over the world. I’ve built a network mostly in France and with some dealers in Japan.
What were some of the first pieces you bought?
The first ashtray I bought came from the Hermès store. It was brand new and had an image of a horse on it, and to me that was very symbolic. My second ashtray was very symbolic as well. I bought it on eBay, and it had a boat of Christopher Columbus. I thought Columbus, America, immigrant, me coming to America – it’s like a full circle. My collection pretty much started with a Columbus ashtray. He opened America for the world, and he opened ashtrays for me.
What are some of the other special pieces in your collection?
When it comes to Hermès ashtrays, the majority of the designs come from scarves. So, originally the scarf gets designed, and then artists in collaboration with the Hermès team decide which portion of the scarf they want to put on the ashtray. For example, I have a scarf with 48 different French military hats from the 17th and 18th century. Out of 48 hats, I had 11 ashtrays with those designs, and I just found number 12. Since Hermès is a secretive company, it’s very difficult to get information, so were there really 48 different ashtrays designed? Maybe there are only 12, maybe 15. Trying to find as many of those hats that possibly exist – that’s a thrill for me.
Do you try to collect the scarves that match the other ashtrays in your collection?
Yes, that’s part of my process. I’ll start searching online or go through my books to try and find if the ashtray matches any scarves. Then I’ll read about the designer, and I’ll try to find more scarves by that designer. My idea is to one day write a book of my collection featuring the scarves with the ashtrays.
What are your standards when deciding to purchase a vintage ashtray?
I would not buy anything that is chipped or broken, but signs of use are okay. For example, if some of the gilding is gone, that’s okay for me. It just shows that it is a truly vintage piece.
What’s the oldest ashtray in your collection?
Hermès started producing ashtrays in the 1960s, and in the beginning, they numbered them. I have Number 1, Number 2 and Number 3. They don’t number them any longer, but I have the oldest ones that exist.
What is it about Hermès in general that you admire so much?
For me, liking a brand starts with the history. I try to understand what they represent. What’s the story behind it? How did they come about? Was that pure luck, or was that just incredible vision? What was it about that specific company that made them who they are today? So, for me, it starts with that – understanding the history and culture and heritage. That’s what makes me really impressed with a brand. Then I become a fan for life.
At Hermès, their profits grow year after year. Every single quarter they beat every expectation. There’s no company in the world right now lucky enough to say that in the last quarter they did 40% more than the previous quarter. So it’s pretty impressive that from 1837, this company keeps surprising and keeps outdoing themselves every single day.
To see more of Beloff’s vintage Hermès ashtray collection, check out the slideshow below.
RHONDA REINHART is editor of Intelligent Collector.