Fine post-Napoleon Era 16.5cm Vernis Martin hand fan, c.1820. About every 80-100 years or so, styles seem to go through a revival, and such was true of the old c.1750s French Romantic Era Vernis Martin fans. The Vernis Martin manner of decoration was a favorite of Marie-Antoinette, and was a layering of paint and varnish developed by the Brothers Martin, ever after referred to simply as "Vernis Martin". This recreation of those earlier fans would date c.1820-1830, so still is a very fine antique in its own right, but is not priced as those of a century earlier. The one note of the later era is they could not adequately duplicate the varnish technique, or the varnishes used were not the same, and the later items, while very beautiful and popular, darken some with age. The earliest Vernis Martin objects retain a brilliance and depth of color and form unique to that era and decorative art. The ones a century later than this one are a cm longer.
Very good to excellent condition, the 16.5cm brisé fan has lost little of its original beauty, almost none of its layered paint, and comes forward whole and unbroken. The guards and sticks are bone, as the earlier ones were. The long striations visible in the material. A Romantic era courting scene, country landscape genre is delightful, with a young woman out for a walk with her basket purse, glancing back at the sleeping young man leaning against a tree, hat in hand. Florals and decorative accents are really quite gorgeous on this one. You can see there has been a restoration to paint on 3 sticks, and the fan was re-ribboned recently in silk, painted. Photographed from all angles, views, so you can really see the full condition is quite remarkable. Measurements noted on the photos.
