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| Click image above to enlarge Mother-of-Pearl Fan Eighteenth Century, France The Victoria & Albert Museum |
Brisé fans have no fan leaf. They are comprised of fan sticks, often decorated by delicate piercing and carving, which are held in place by a silk cord or ribbon.
This brisé fan is an excellent example of the style. It is made up of mother-of-pearl sticks which have been worked to create the look of delicate lace. The pattern is interrupted by un-carved planes which were left to contain gilded decoration.
A carving of Cupid about to shoot an arrow adorns the guards. This was something of a cute joke since fans were considered weapons for women in the war of love. Around the time this fan was made, in 1711, the journal “The Spectator” wrote that “women are armed with Fans as Men with Swords, and sometimes do more Execution with them.” Three female figures grace the reverse of the fan. Both sides feature floral gilt decoration.
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