Antiques & Uncommon Treasure Antique French Hand Painted Vernis Martin 16cm Brisé Hand Fan, Romantic Era c.1700s Manner, c.1895-1905 #3

The third of 3 from my own collections, listing today. Elegant in a decorative manner of the 1700s, Marie-Antoinette’s favorite if historians are to be believed, the layered oil painting and varnish first created by the Brothers Martin. The process is simply referred to ever afterward as “Vernis Martin”. You can see why M-A loved it. Sumptuous, all-over decorative paintings on both sides, usually in the French Romanticist manner of artists like Boucher, Fragonard – outdoor love and courtship scenes. The fans are ivory and I’ve owned these for a decade or more waiting to find someone who could re-ribbon them for me. As you can see, I found her. I’m so pleased with the result. Fine silk ribbon used, hand painted as would have been the old original.  Museum quality, the little brisé is just 16cm long when folded. Truly a work of art, both sides.

Very good to excellent condition throughout on this old beauty. One tiny restoration and professional repainting on the gentleman’s leg – I can’t even find it now. There is some argument of era, whether mid-1700s or those of a decade later in revival. My expert consult puts this one later in 19th c. to as late as 1905. The slight darkening of the Vernis Martin work leans to 19th century rather than 18th, and remains the mystery of trying to duplicate the old work as no one seems to get the method’s varnish just right. The old ones are likely to remain a bit more vibrant and yellow a little less. Still, museum quality on this one. Full measurements noted on photos. 

IMPORTANT NOTE regarding antique tortoise shell or ivory: We are great supporters of protection for endangered species in our modern world. We never buy or sell anything 100 years or newer; we donate to anti-poaching organizations; we don’t hunt; we conserve in ways that impact global warming (we’re totally solar at home), knowing those measures also protect the animals in the wild today. We also recognize the vast cultural history we preserve with our care and reverence for these antique objects, and agree with CITES that objects over 100 years of age have nothing whatsoever to do with species depletion in our current world.

Our offering exceeds the age limitation of “more than 100 years of age”, and is well within the exemption for CITES regulation. If imported, met the CITES regulation. This item will be handled and shipped from our Utah business, and is not available for shipment internationally, nor within the USA to California, NY, Nevada, Hawaii, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington if it contains ivory, sorry. Please see our small print for more details.