A painted folding fan depicting an allegory on Dutch trade
Probably Holland, circa 1780
Mounted in the English style, painted on vellum, with the allegory in three panels. In the centre, a woman personifying Holland holds a quill and a cornucopia. A cupid offers her a pearl necklace. Minerva, wearing a helmet, unrolls a floral fabric reminiscent of Indian textiles, while Mercury, the god protecting commerce, rests on a barrel and bundles, one marked 'CV'. Ships sail away in the distance. The sides feature grisaille-style cupids, one symbolising Fame, the other holding a flag emblazoned with the letters 'VOC' for Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, the Dutch East India Company.
H. 28 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, France
Mounted in the English style, painted on vellum, with the allegory in three panels. In the centre, a woman personifying Holland holds a quill and a cornucopia. A cupid offers her a pearl necklace. Minerva, wearing a helmet, unrolls a floral fabric reminiscent of Indian textiles, while Mercury, the god protecting commerce, rests on a barrel and bundles, one marked 'CV'. Ships sail away in the distance. The sides feature grisaille-style cupids, one symbolising Fame, the other holding a flag emblazoned with the letters 'VOC' for Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, the Dutch East India Company.
H. 28 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, France
Part of the Europe collection.
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