Description

An exceptionally refined late-eighteenth-century folding fan, presented in a custom giltwood display frame. The fan leaf is painted with a continuous Rococo pastoral fête galante scene, depicting elegantly dressed figures in an outdoor garden setting—men and women in animated conversation and gesture, a child at play, and architectural garden elements softly receding into a luminous landscape. The composition is rendered in delicate pastel tones with subtle shading and fluid brushwork characteristic of late Rococo taste, emphasizing movement, sociability, and idyllic leisure.
The leaf appears to be executed on paper, hand-painted and heightened with gold accents along the borders. The scene is framed by floral and foliate motifs, lending ornamental cohesion to the narrative imagery. The reverse (not visible) is presumed plain or lightly decorated, consistent with fans of this period.
The fan’s sticks and guards are finely worked, likely carved and pierced ivory or bone, enriched with polychrome painting, gilding, and inset iridescent elements suggestive of mother-of-pearl or mica. Architectural vignettes, scrolling foliage, and floral sprays decorate the sticks, demonstrating a high level of craftsmanship and attention to detail. The rivet and folding mechanism remain intact, allowing the fan to retain its original form despite being mounted for display.
The fan is housed within a shaped, gilded wooden frame, conforming to the open fan silhouette. The frame features a repeating punched or carved border pattern and a black fabric or velvet backing that provides strong visual contrast, emphasizing the delicacy of the painted leaf and the intricacy of the sticks.