THE MET
Painted Paper Fan with Ivory Sticks
Rococo · 1750s-1780s · European
Production
artisan-craft
Material
paper leaf with ivory sticks
Culture
European
Movement
Rococo decorative arts
Influences
classical mythology · pastoral painting tradition
An ornate folding fan with painted paper leaf depicting classical mythological scenes with figures in flowing robes amid clouds and celestial imagery. The ivory or bone sticks feature intricate pierced and carved decorative work with gilded details. The fan's leaf shows delicate watercolor painting in soft pastels with romantic pastoral scenes typical of Rococo taste. The guard sticks display elaborate fretwork patterns and metallic accents. The overall construction demonstrates fine craftsmanship with precise pleating of the paper leaf and careful assembly of the stick framework, creating both functional cooling device and decorative status symbol for elite social display.
umbrella
Connected To
Movement·Rococo decorative artsTechnique·carvingTechnique·hand-paintingFunction·court-formal
SHARED40 years · cross-culture · cross-category
Both fans deploy the same theatrical vocabulary of pastoral fantasy, but where the earlier Rococo example stages its mythological drama across the full sweep of painted paper, the later silk fan compresses its bucolic scene into a more intimate landscape vignette.
Text87%
Image
Influences·classical mythologyMotif·mythological
SHARED240 years · cross-culture · cross-category
This rococo fan's delicate mythological tableau—all floating cherubs and pastoral revels painted in watercolor pastels—finds its design descendant in Versace's bold Medusa scarf, where classical antiquity gets the full 1980s treatment. Where the 18th-century fan whispers its mythological references through soft allegorical scenes meant for genteel flutter, Versace shouts them through hard-edged geometric patterns radiating from that central Medusa head like a fashion Big Bang.
Motif·cloud-waveMotif·mythological
SHARED230 years · cross-culture · cross-category
Text54%
Technique·hand-paintingMotif·cloud-wave
SHARED190 years · cross-culture · cross-category
Text39%
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