“Battle of Alexander at Issus” Fan

During the 18th century fans were an indispensable, stylish accessory, the leaves of which frequently depicted historical scenes. This one shows the “Battle of Alexander at Issus”, the victory of Alexander the Great over Persian King Darius III. This victory is commented with the “Pennas habent Alexander milites” (The troops of Alexander have wings) banner .The fan trappings include complex piece worked mother-of-pearl carvings that depict a circle of music-making cherubs. In addition, slivers of abalone are countersunk into the cover rods that are underlain with coloured foil, thus increasing the resplendence of the piece. The back of the fan depicts a broad scenery with a castle and pair of shepherds. France was the leading producer of fine fans during the 18th century. Production of these was laborious, it included many different steps and processes, and the work was thus divided between producers. Paper and frame were worked separately and mounted independently of the depictions that appeared upon them. A contemporary estimate suggests that around 1750, ca. 10,000 people outside of Paris and ca. 100 families within Paris made their livings in the field of fan manufacture (Letourmy-Bordier 2013).