I will admit I can't be positive the box is original to the fan, and therefore note that it is the way it came into my collections and it fits perfectly. The fan has been hand painted on each side, and each guard bears the same generous 18k gold monogram. The one side also has the Marquis crown and if that's a name, I can't make it out. Reverse side is a lion banner. The overall effect and condition has made this a personal favorite in my smallish collection of fans. Measurements in full are noted on the photos.
Very good to excellent condition for age and type. Both the hand painted silk fan and the box are in similarly excellent condition for their age, and it does seem likely they are original to one another. That said - Oh! This fan! Splendid Napoleon III 11" long (closed) guards, no loss nor restorations, very slight rub to the sticks from opening/closing, not much. The very tips of the leaf show a tiny bit of stress, but there are no tears nor silk deterioration overall. The fan seems to have been more treasured than used, and I wonder if it was not a gift. C.1850-80s, Napoleon III, or mid-Victorian, made for someone special.
IMPORTANT NOTE regarding antique tortoise shell or ivory: We are great supporters of protection for endangered species in our modern world. We never buy or sell anything 100 years or newer; we donate to anti-poaching organizations; we don't hunt; we conserve in ways that impact global warming (we're totally solar at home), knowing those measures also protect the animals in the wild today. We also recognize the vast cultural history we preserve with our care and reverence for these antique objects, and agree with CITES that objects over 100 years of age have nothing whatsoever to do with species depletion in our current world.
Our offering exceeds the age limitation of "more than 100 years of age", and is well within the exemption for CITES regulation. If imported, met the CITES regulation. This item will be handled and shipped from our Utah business, and is not available for shipment internationally, nor within the USA to California, NY, Nevada, Hawaii, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington if it contains ivory, sorry. Please see our small print for more details.
