Fan

Location: Russia, St. Petersburg

Materials: Silver and gold, translucent enamel, mother of pearl, lace and painted gauze 88 zolotniks

Dimensions: length 35.3 cm

Accession Number: FAB 306

Other Notes:

In the late 19^th century  Paris was the leading centre for the manufacture of high-quality fans. Just as Fabergé added silver mounts to glass produced in France by Baccarat and Gallé, so the firm adapted imported fans for its own purposes. The original guards – generally made of the same material as the sticks – were removed and replaced by new silver-gilt or gold mounts, almost invariably enriched with enamel and jewels. Care was taken to ensure that the motifs appearing on the original leaf and sticks were echoed on the new guards. Thus, in this instance, the rocaille scrolls and frolicking amours are repeated in the gold mounts.

Marie Dumas, a miniaturist specialising in the painting of fan leaves, was employed by the leading Parisian fan-makers, including Kees and Duvelleroy. Another example of her work is in the collection of the Palace of Ostankino, near Moscow.

Bibliography:

Haydn Williams, Enamels of the World: 1700-2000 The Khalili Collections, London 2009, cat. 268, pp. 386–7.