Brisé fan

Unknown

first quarter 18th century · ivory, oil paint, paper · Costume Institute

Fans such as this are known as "Vernis Martin" because the Martin family developed a varnish for furnishing objects in the early 18th century and became known for that invention. Varnish was subsequently used on European-made fans to imitate Chinese lacquer. As there is no documentation that the Martin family ever made fans, the association with the family may be unfounded.

Artist

Unknown

Date

first quarter 18th century

Medium

ivory, oil paint, paper

Culture

probably French

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Orme Wilson, 1954