This is a beautiful antique pleated French fan which is beautifully presented and framed in a heavy gilt frame for display on your wall.
The frame is in very good condition and obviously, a great deal of skill has also gone into the making of the frame - never mind the skill in making the actual fan inside it.
This is a lovely antique French hand fan which is beautifully painted over a stipple mezzotint print on the paper to produce the tones.
This fabulous antique fan features Rococo couples listening to music in a garden. This is called a "fete galante". It features figures in ball dress or masquerade costume disporting themselves romantically in parkland settings. These scenes were popular in the 18th century - with a later revival of the subject in the 19th century. The date of this fan is probably c 1860s - perhaps even earlier.
This fan shows a party resting in an Acadian landscape - the group relies on earlier images painted by Watteau. Musicians play music and ladies lounge about in adoration. There are little putti shown to the right of the temple in the distance. Painted floral panels embellish the bottom of the fan and the pattern is highlighted with lots of gold gilding.
The fine mother of pearl sticks and guards are shaped, carved, pierced and gilded. They have intricate hand-painted details in black and lots of delicate gold decoration.
The paintwork of the actual fan design is exquisite and carefully painted in watercolour and thicker gouache paint. The painting is made on top of a printed mezzotint background- with only the outline and some tones printed before the actual painting commenced.
The fan is in excellent antique condition and is certainly a very fine quality example.
The colours all remain bright and fresh with no issues with fading.
Dimensions: Frame size is 23 inches wide and 13 1/2 inches in height - with a depth of 2 inches.
Sadly, due to the fragility of this piece - I would not be able to post this outside of the UK.