Brisé fan with three painted reserves

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Composed only of sticks of ivory- a type of fan called "brisé"- this example holds our attention because of its blend of color, texture and different materials. The fine decoration of the ivory creates a lace-like effect; imitating pricier Chinese imports (like The Met's 65.80.13), its drilled technique reveals that this was made in Britain. Three painted medallions, representing the Roman goddesses Venus and Ceres flanking a central lady and children in a landscape, all imitate the popular style of Swiss painter Angelica Kauffman (1741-1807). Variety is cleverly achieved by inlays of enamel studs and gilding. On the outer sticks are two tiny blue and white jasperware plaques, representing Hope and Hercules; these were perhaps sourced from the famous and successful English porcelain manufactory founded some decades earlier by Josiah Wedgwood.

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