Description

An exceptionally fine and richly embellished European brisé fan, presented in a giltwood demi-lune display frame with silk backing. The fan is constructed with finely pierced and carved pale-toned sticks, heightened with parcel-gilt detailing, polychrome floral motifs, and delicate metallic ornament. The sticks radiate from a carved guard terminating in a domed rivet and are further enriched with scrolling foliate decoration and geometric reserves.
The leaf is composed of painted and embroidered textile panels, lavishly decorated with gilt sequins, metallic threadwork, and applied beadwork. At the centre is a finely executed hand-painted vignette depicting an elegant interior salon scene: fashionably dressed figures in late 18th-century attire engaged in conversation, rendered in soft pastel tones with architectural elements and drapery providing depth and narrative context. Flanking roundels depict martial and allegorical motifs, possibly referencing themes of gallantry, honour, or courtly amusement, all enclosed within scrolling floral borders heightened with gold accents.