Vouwwaaier met blad van groen gaas waarop een cartouche van zwarte zijde met in olieverf een staande man in neo-rococokostuum, waarnaast en een zittende vrouw op een bank in een tuin, op ajour en in reliëf gesneden, met bladgoud ingelegd en beschilderd montuur van schildpad(?) c. 1900 - 1920

Curator: What immediately strikes me is the overt artificiality of this fan. The depicted figures feel decidedly staged. Editor: Indeed. This piece, created circa 1900-1920, is listed as "Vouwwaaier met blad van groen gaas waarop een cartouche van zwarte zijde met in olieverf een staande man in neo-rococokostuum, waarnaast en een zittende vrouw op een bank in een tuin, op ajour en in relief gesneden, met bladgoud ingelegd en beschilderd montuur van schildpad(?)." Quite a mouthful! Curator: Exactly! And just consider all the constituent parts listed in that description. The interplay of these materials creates such a unique whole. The green gauze layered with black silk provides a subtle color interplay as the support for that miniature oil painting... It echoes the contrivances present in Rococo's emphasis on artificial paradise. Editor: And that is perfectly executed through mixed media! The handle and frame speak of intricate craftsmanship and a tactile opulence. Gold leaf inlay and painted tortoise shell are expensive materials indicating the work was produced for consumption by the leisure class. Curator: It evokes a lost world of elaborate rituals, doesn't it? The figures, positioned in what is supposed to be a serene landscape, look incredibly uncomfortable. The artist has composed the work in such a way as to make us acutely aware of their posturing and its underlying function. This awareness seems to hint at the beginning of that world's end... Editor: I see your point. We shouldn't ignore, though, the fan’s more quotidian function as a tool of embodied labor, providing the wielder an opportunity to participate in the social currency of display. I would bet this fan and others like it were status symbols produced en masse for the entertainment of the bourgeoisie. Curator: I concede the industrial elements that may factor into this, but this tension is central to understanding the appeal of Rococo-inspired aesthetics long after their time. The visual dance this fan proposes makes the viewer complicit. It becomes a complex microcosm of that cultural moment’s values, all held within one small object. Editor: It certainly is something to contemplate. Thank you for that engaging dissection, truly an art historical excavation into this singular, opulent work of art.