Brisé fan depicting The Battle of the Nile

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Fashion and patriotism combine in this painted ivory brisé fan, which depicts the Battle of the Nile, a major British victory under Admiral Nelson against Napoleon’s forces. The central image features the inscription “1. Nelson. 98” and shows the personification of victory flying over the pyramids, while the naval battle rages in the background. Fans illustrating British military success began to appear in the 1740s, and this is not the only fan that commemorated the famed Battle of the Nile. Inexpensive printed fans were made, titled ‘Nelson & Victory,” listing the ships in the English and French fleets. While this fan commemorates the same event, the hand-painted ivory makes it a much more expensive version.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.

Metropolitan Museum of Art