DESIGN FOR A FAN (18th century), the four seasons

Watercolor, with raised gilding, unsigned, in fan-shaped frame. Price € 495.

This unique quadruple watercolor on a fan-shaped sheet of paper is in all likelihood a design for a fan. Fans were immensely popular amongst the ladies in the eighteenth and nineteenth century, until electric light lowered the temperature indoors. The fan was an object of fashion and style and thus subject to the passion of decoration. Even famous painters like Watteau and Boucher dedicated themselves to decorating fans. What a marvellous sight it must have been when the ladies pulled out their fans during a performance in the theater, and colorful landscapes, cupids, birds and other animals became visible! A multitude of fans can be found in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Our early-romantic watercolor with subtle decorations in gold shows a style that is purely rococo. Possibly we are dealing with a French so-called éventail, but it could also be a Dutch design as this was popular around 1770-1780. The unique framing is also rococo but could be applied in the nineteenth century. We have renewed all cartons, including the matching and decorated passe-partout. The paper of the watercolor is still in good condition and the colors are lively. The cheerful images keep the middle between child’s play and love scenes and form an allegory of the four seasons.