Lola de Valence 1862

Edouard Manet captured Lola de Valence on canvas, immortalizing her with oil paints. The fan is a key motif, seen throughout history. In ancient Greece, fans were linked to the cult of Dionysus. Images of maenads, the god's female followers, show them carrying fans as symbols of fertility and ecstasy. In the East, the fan signified authority and status. Here, in 19th-century Spain, it is a prop of veiled communication: a coy gesture in a dance of courtship. Think how the meaning of a simple object can evolve across cultures. The fan, once a sacred instrument, becomes a mere tool of coquetry. And yet, something of its primal power remains, engaging us on a subconscious level. It's a subtle reminder that what we see is never just what is there.