This old beauty is SO Napoleon III, it ought to be in the displays of Empress Eugenie's Chinoiserie room at Fontainbleau Palace, don't. you agree? Large, elegantly worked silk satin in claret red with silk embroidered flowers dancing across it and those 30cm black perforated, carved ebonized sticks, still in fine form with the original passementerie tassel. In an era of black and red, it nails it. And it's been well-preserved in the old original box, too. The box is missing one end but it's kept the fan well. A black silk back leaf, crisp folds, this one is a show stopper. I would display but not use, however. The heavy silk satin is really much too heavy for these perforated sticks and one feels the motion and a threat it might break if in use. One stick was broken, in fact, and my pro fan restoration lady did such a fine restoration on it, I can't even tell which one it was now. Isn't it stunning!
Very good to excellent condition for age and type, this one is somewhere between 160-130 years old, very large. As noted, one stick has had a repair where it meets spines, and I can't even tell you which it was, so well done. Guard sticks are pristine. The old silk satin is really beautiful and surprisingly intact with its crisp folds and tip ribbon. Backing is, as well. Fabulous cabinet display. Old original French silk passementerie tassel shows some age, still very pretty.
