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| The Victoria & Albert Museum Click image to enlarge. |
Since, today, we’re looking at “conspicuous displays of wealth,” we can’t overlook the role the hand fan played in allowing a household to show their social station and fiscal strength. In addition to her gown and jewels, a lady’s fan showed her family’s ability to purchase the finest possible items as well as keep up with the latest arts and fashions.
Made in France between 1840-1860 by an unknown maker, this fan of gouache and gilt on paper is supported and protected by carved, pierced, painted, gilt and silvered mother-of-pearl sticks and ivory guards. This fan is of the finest quality, but also demonstrated that its owner kept abreast of the fashions and tastes of the day.
When this fan was made, the upper-classes were intrigued by the events and artistic styles of the past. Many fans made during this period were decorated with romantic versions of previous eras. The scene depicted here is meant to put one in mind of the time of Louis XIV, as figures are wearing the fashions of his reign (1643-1715). Meanwhile, the painting and decoration of the fan mimic the Rococo style of the Eighteenth Century.
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