Vouwwaaier, met blad van papier waarop in aquarel op de voorkant een dansende menigte rond een Vrijheidsboom, een rood-wit-blauwe banderolle, putti met een vrijheidshoed en vlag en op de achterkant een Keeshond met vrijheidshoed, op een montuur van been ingelegd met bladzilver 1795

This fan was made by an anonymous maker from paper, bone and silver. The paper leaf is delicately painted with a scene of revelry around a “freedom tree”, referencing revolutionary ideals. Yet the fan itself speaks to a different kind of social dynamic. Fashionable accessories like this one were highly prized consumer goods. Its assembly required considerable skilled labor. The bone struts were carved with precision, while the silver inlay added a luxurious touch. The watercolor painting on the paper demanded careful handling, suggesting it was perhaps made by a trained artist rather than the same artisan who produced the bone structure. Consider how such an object becomes charged with social meaning. Although it displays overt imagery of freedom, the fan's precious materials and skilled making speak to hierarchies of labor and consumption. By considering the processes and materials involved, we can appreciate how this object transcends the boundaries between craft, design, and social commentary.