**Originally Listed At $3000**

Western Europe, France, Neoclassical period, ca. 18th century CE. A breathtaking hand fan comprised of ivory sticks, a red glass pivot, and a vellum leaf hand-painted with an elaborate Classical scene depicting Athena addressing a queen with a shipwreck in the background, perhaps an interpretation of Book V of the "Odyssey" in which Odysseus is shipwrecked during a thunderstorm and held captive on the island of Ogygia by the nymph Calypso until the eventual intervention of Athena who pleas to Zeus for Odysseus's freedom. The idyllic scene is scattered with cupids and framed by floral motifs, while the tops of the sticks are painted with petite animals, landscapes, seascapes, and still lives. A carefully-carved, openwork relief adorns the guards, displaying a pair of lovers in the pastoral with Roman ruins in the background - perhaps an allusion to the ephemerality of romantic love. Size of fan: 20.5" W x 10.6" H (52.1 cm x 26.9 cm); of frame: 26.25" W x 16" H (66.7 cm x 40.6 cm)

Note how this fantastical imagery accurately communicates the aristocracy's detachment from the realities of life experienced by all other sections of society, reflecting the omnipotence of the noble class that was prevalent in the decades leading up to the French Revolution.

Considered the first golden age of the fan in Europe, the 18th century saw fans gradually transform from being a luxury only intended for ownership by the aristocracy to being an essential fashion accessory for virtually all classes. Many of surviving fans were wedding gifts to the bride and kept safe by the bride. Whilst the artistry of fan painting continues to flourish and copies of Master paintings remain popular, new types of fan emerge. They reflect the nuances and caprices of eighteenth-century life, unfurling scenes of domesticity, romantic liaisons and even current affairs. These fans usually depict scenes of love, either famous historical weddings in the Baroque period, or arbor scenes with sacrifices to Hymen, the god of love, in the Rococo period.

This is an ESA antique exempt piece of ivory and cannot be sold internationally or to anyone residing in the states of California, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Washington. We guarantee that the piece is over 100 years old.

Provenance: private Rancho Mirage, California, USA collection, by inheritance in 2020; ex-Dr. TDR Berreth, California, USA, acquired before 1982

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#179049

Fan is set in custom frame with suspension wire on verso for display; has not been examined outside of frame. Some minor tears and folds to vellum with possible areas of repair or repainting. Otherwise, in very nice condition and mostly intact with nice preservation of painted and carved detail.