Fan

This is a clear example of a wedding fan beacuse of the materials it is made with (ivory for the ribs and vellum for the leaf) and the decoration. On the front there is a classic wedding scene and on the back the figures of Venus and Cupid, plus two medallions, almost certainly portraits of the bride and groom. / The painter of the portraits on the leaf is Edouard Jean Baptiste Moreau, a miniaturist and draughtsman. The fan was made by the Alexandre factory, one of the principal fan-making industries in France in the 19th century. This company was active during the reign of Napoleon III. The value of the fans produced by this factory lay in the use of sumptuous materials like mother of pearl, tortoiseshell or ivory, very often with applications of gold and gemstones for the ribs. The leaf was made of lace, vellum or silk. One of the chief novelties to be introduced to the fans made by Alexandre was the inclusion of the signature of the painter who did the illustrations on the leaf, thus making the piece an original work of art, setting it apart from mass-produced fans.