Folding Fan with Representation of a Royal Fireworks Display
The spectacular firework display painted so finely on this fan perhaps commemorates the birth of the new Dauphin, Marie Antoinette's son Louis Joseph on October 22nd, 1781, alluded to by the French royal arms to the right and the dolphins in the center. In Paris at this period, fan-making was shared between two distinct guilds: the spectacular ivory guards, carved and embellished with mother-of-pearl and gilding, were conventionally the domain of male artisans, whilst the delicately painted leaves were created by women artists. In a triumph of collaborative design, the two elements match beautifully in this example.
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