Vouwwaaier met dubbel blad van dun leer en schildering in gouache; montuur van ivoor, ajour en in relief gesneden met goud en zilver belegd en achtergrond van parelmoer, sluitpin met stras c. 1770 - 1780

Curator: This intricately decorated fan, made circa 1770-1780, resides here at the Rijksmuseum. Known as “Vouwwaaier met dubbel blad van dun leer en schildering in gouache; montuur van ivoor, ajour en in relief gesneden met goud en zilver belegd en achtergrond van parelmoer, sluitpin met stras”, this remarkable piece is a blend of gouache painting and mixed media on a delicate leather leaf, adorned with ivory, gold, silver, and mother-of-pearl. Editor: Wow. My first thought? Scandalous elegance. It feels like a secret whispered behind a gloved hand. It’s pretty but there's definitely more to it than just surface beauty, you know? Curator: Exactly! Fans like these were deeply embedded in social rituals. Consider how they functioned as tools of covert communication, especially for women navigating restrictive social codes. A flick of the wrist could convey a world of meaning. The Rococo style further situates it within a culture of aristocratic opulence, yet it also suggests anxieties around display and concealment in pre-revolutionary France. Editor: The tiny paintings, all those little scenes! Are they hinting at flirtations? Secrets? It's like peeking into a miniature soap opera. And the craftsmanship is bananas; who has time to cut ivory like that? But I wonder what these scenes communicated at the time? Did everyone understand the language? Curator: Certainly, there would have been an understanding among those in the know. We can interpret these depictions of leisure and dalliances through the lens of performativity, examining how they reflect and construct gendered identities and power dynamics. Moreover, the very materials—ivory, gold, pearl—speak volumes about colonialism and trade. Editor: Right, the luxury! It makes you wonder about the unseen labor that went into something so seemingly frivolous. This isn't just about rich people being fancy. There's a whole world hidden within those delicate folds. So the fan almost turns into something dark in context... Curator: Precisely. Thinking about intersectionality, the fan embodies complex nodes of gender, class, and coloniality. Even something as beautiful as this can hold deeply contradictory realities. Editor: Well, I'll never look at a fan the same way again. I guess what I see is more about the story and all that’s not evident but creates such incredible context. It definitely offers us an unusual glimpse into an era.