Mother-of-Pearl Brisé Fan with Carved Sticks

Baroque · 1700s · French

This brisé fan features delicately carved mother-of-pearl sticks arranged in the characteristic overlapping pattern of this fan type. Each stick displays intricate pierced work and engraved decorative motifs typical of 18th-century French craftsmanship. The fan opens to form a semicircular shape, with the individual sticks connected only at the pivot point and held together by a ribbon threaded through small holes near the base. The lustrous mother-of-pearl surface catches light subtly, creating an iridescent quality. The carved details appear to include floral and possibly figural elements, demonstrating the refined decorative arts of the Rococo period when such fans were essential accessories for fashionable French society.