Fan

Folding fan with carved and engraved ivory slats (14+2). Made out of silk, painted on both side in gouache by Didier Petit of Meurville. The front shows a view of San Sebastian from Mount Igeldo to Mount Ulia. On the back, there are two butterflies and a garland of blue flowers in the centre with roses on either side. The scene includes the original gas factory at the foot of Mount San Bartolomé, built in 1861, and the wooden Santa Catalina bridge, which was replaced by a stone one (still standing) in 1872. The fan can be dated by the presence of the railway and the city walls. Although the railway was officially opened on 15 August 1864, it had already been running between Irun and the capital a year before. The ceremony marking demolition of the city walls took place on 4 May 1863, but work actually began on July of the following year. Barring artistic licence, the scene therefore probably dates from July-August 1864 or the months immediately before or after.

Petit de Meurville arrived in San Sebastian as the French consul in 1857, where he stayed for 16 years. Petit de Meurville's work is of considerable artistic quality and provides an extraordinarily interesting documentary record. This and other works from the collection were acquired by the Provincial Government of Gipuzkoa from Ana Satrustegui Petit de Meurville.

The fan was one of the most distinctive fashion accessories of the nineteenth and early twentieth century. Fine materials added to the price, making it a symbol of distinction and social standing.

Bibliography:

Altube, Fernando. Guipúzcoa-San Sebastián 1857-1873 : Didier Petit de Meurville : [exposición]. Donostia-San Sebastián : Kutxa Gizarte eta Kultur Fundazioa, 1994. 69,[82]

http://www.albumsiglo19mendea.net/petitdemeurville/presentacion.php
http://www.loreakasmatzen.net/eu/index.php
http://untzimuseoa.eus/es/exposiciones/anteriores/51-la-costa-guipuzcoana-en-la-obra-de-petit-de-meurville-1857-1793-
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Didier_Petit_de_Meurville