Napoleon III Pair of French Fans Chinoiserie

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Napoleon III Pair of French Fans Chinoiserie

About the Item

Rare and precious pair of French fans in "papier mâché" and wooden handle; they were made between 1865 and 1870 by a skilled artist in "chinoiserie" style. The term "chinoiserie", which derives from the French word "chinois", was a western-style born between the 17th and 18th century and denotes that chinoiserie did not come directly from Asia, but was an imaginative European interpretation of Asian culture; this style developed particularly in the decorative arts, architecture, literature, theater, and music; France was the most prolific European nation in the production of chinoiserie. On our fans are represented two delightful scenes in a typical Chinese village with festive and smiling characters; everything is handmade with gold paint, colors, and inserts of precious materials; the artist has performed the representation with meticulousness and mastery taking care of the two objects in the smallest details; the wooden handles, with a pleasant and elegant shape, have gold decorations. The technique of "papier mâché" (a mixture of paper and natural glues) has been known in China, since 200 BC. (Han dynasty), then spreading throughout the East; helmets, shields, ceremonial masks, boxes, and other decorative objects were built in papier mâché; in Europe, it appeared circa 1725, and soon this technique spread in the various European countries for the production of valuable artistic and ornamental works, in fact, in no other material have so many decorative techniques been seen and seen, as in this one, where the most refined lacquers, coatings, gildings, and paintings have their greatest expression, The papier mâché had its greatest use from the 16th-20th century, particularly in France and Russia. The fan has a history of thousands of years, in fact, the Chinese already had rigid bamboo fans in the 2nd century BC. For the first folding fan, we must wait until the 7th century: the Japanese will think about it, inspired by bats. The fan was introduced in France by Catherine De 'Medici, and the great European producers were France, England, Italy, and the Netherlands. In addition to waving, the fans, and especially those rigid as ours, also had the function of hiding the face completely or only partially; women used the fan to mask facial expressions, embarrassment, or to conceal private conversations. The fan was seen as a great instrument of seduction, during the first approaches with a lady during a gallant party, the suitor had to unleash all the weapons in his possession to induce the woman to lower the fan, revealing him so, even for a few moments, a beauty intriguingly hidden. There was then a real "vocabulary", in fact, depending on the movements or position of the fan, the ladies could converse with their suitors! Measures: Height cm. 41, width cm. 20, depth cm. 2.

Dimensions:
Height: 16.15 in (41 cm)Width: 7.88 in (20 cm)Length: 16.15 in (41 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 2
Style:
Chinoiserie (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Paper,Wood,Hand-Painted,Other
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
Late 19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
1865-1870
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Prato, IT
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU4632222840992