Fan leaves, first half of the set "Desseins d'Eventails et Ecrans"
Medium
ornament
Classification
ornament
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Accession Number
1944-16-4-1
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Step into the elegant world of 18th-century French decorative arts with *Fan leaves, first half of the set "Desseins d'Eventails et Ecrans"* by Nicolas Pierre Loir (1624–1679). Created around 1750, these ornamental designs showcase the artist's skill in crafting intricate patterns for luxury fans and screens. Though Loir flourished in the Baroque era, this set reflects the enduring appeal of his motifs into the Rococo period, when such items were essential accessories for the French aristocracy. Fans, or *éventails*, were more than functional objects—they were canvases for artistic expression...