In 1668, the conquest of Lille and part of Flanders by Louis XIV definitively linked French and Flemish
pictorial productions, which had already been closely related in the previous century. In this context, some Flemish artists adapted their production and opted for naturalization. French painters, meanwhile, absorbed and filtered the main artistic characteristics of their colleagues. At the beginning of the 18th century, the northern influence is widely found in pictorial production but often remains difficult to detect, as currents and contacts between artists intertwine. Although Lille was officially attached to France by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, it remained deeply imbued with its Flemish and Dutch roots. Our gouache, which can be dated to the end of the reign of Louis XIV, bears witness to this crossroads of identities.
Painters assimilated Northern techniques of composition, particularly a special attention to detail, whichthey put to use in French commissions such as fans. Historiography recognizes Catherine de Medici for importing the Italian fan fashion into France, which led to a growing demand in the 17th century. This enthusiasm gave rise to the emergence of master fan-makers who, working closely with painters, produced true miniature paintings that served as models for the fan leaf. The heart of this production was located in Paris, around the rue Saint-Denis. Originally made of wood or perfumed skin, the making of a fan involved several steps by the end of the 17th century. The frame was carved and sculpted by a fan maker, while the painting required the contribution of several painters who created preparatory drawings to which colors were added later. The division of labor explains the absence of signatures on most fan leaves produced at that time. Our leaf seems to have been created by one or several Flemish hands, probably in Paris where the demand was highest.
Most fan designs were painted with gouache. The delicate cutouts visible on our leaf indicate that it was designed for a so-called “broken” fan, whose ribs would be arranged on a support made of wood, ivory, or bone. Once completed, the object could be fully folded thanks to a small nail placed in the lower part, called the rivet.
In a landscape delimited by a few trees and a ruined building in the background on the left, and a town on the right, no less than 24 characters appear. Peasants, bourgeois dressed for hunting, and a newlywed couple are ingeniously arranged in three groups, revealing a narrative. Reading from left to right, a picnic is prepared by a group of peasants, while the festivities, presumably organized for the couple coming from the right, are celebrated in the center. Finally, the last group placed on a boat on the left joins the rest of the composition.
The finesse and precision displayed in our work reflect the skill of the artist’s hand, who carefully preserves the memory of the Flemish pictorial tradition. From this synthesis of influences, the artist, attentive to the rendering of the smallest details, can be linked to the artistic milieu of Lille in the early 18th century. The bourgeois are clearly distinguished from the peasants by the refinement of their fabrics. The women wear feathered hats to hold their hair during the hunt. It is amusing to note the delicate mise-en-abyme in the center of the composition, featuring a female character holding a glass of wine in one hand and an open fan in the other.
The image of life outside of Paris, conveyed through the iconography of rural pleasures, found a real
enthusiasm during the 18th century. The theme of marriage and picnics in our gouache marks a clear
opposition to the previous century, which mostly featured mythological themes. Their representation on fan leaves reminds us that this object is primarily dedicated to pleasure, a mirror of taste and elegance.
After the French conquest, the northern part of the kingdom experienced economic prosperity, which led to a certain artistic dynamism. Louis XIV intended to make Lille one of the most beautiful cities in the French territory, explaining the great wealth and finesse of the works produced there, among which fans held an important place. A symbol of wealth and social recognition, necessary for maintaining one’s status, fans became an indispensable element in the education of young girls during the 18th century.
M.O
