Fan with figures in a garden

Art Historical Context

This delicate etching, titled *Fan with Figures in a*, showcases the collaborative talents of French engraver Nicolas Cochin Italian printmaker Stefano della Bella. Created as a reverse copy—a technique where the image is mirrored to facilitate transfer or reproduction—it captures an idyllic garden scene alive with and women strolling amid lush trees. The plate measures 8 7/8 × 11 9/16 inches, perfectly scaled for mounting on a fashionable fan, a popular accessory in 17th and 18th-century Europe. Etching, the medium here, allowed artists like della Bella—renowned for his intricate landscapes and genre scenes—and Cochin, a master of precise reproductive prints, to achieve fine, expressive lines that evoke depth and movement. Reverse copies were common in print workshops, enabling widespread dissemination of designs for decorative objects. This work reflects the Baroque era's fascination with pastoral leisure, where gardens symbolized harmony and refined social gatherings. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, gifted by the Estate of Florence Waterbury in 1970, the print highlights how art permeated everyday luxury. Imagine unfolding this fan at a Versailles soirée—its whimsical tableau blending artistry with cultural elegance.