Monday, October 11, 2010

Unfolding Pictures: One of Queen Alexandra’s Miniature Fans

The Royal Collection
Queen Alexandra—the wife of King Edward VII—amassed a gorgeous collection of twenty miniature hand fans which she displayed at their country residence, Sandringham House in Norfolk.  The majority of the fans in collection were given as gifts to the Queen from French and Italian designers and fan-makers.  This miniature, however, was purchased by Queen Alexandra in 1900.  It features mother-of-pearl guards and sticks and a hand-painted kid leather leaf.  The scene painted on the fan is based on Les Plaisirs du Bal by Watteau—a favorite painting of the Queen.  This little masterpiece is most likely the work of Aubin of Paris.  This, among the other miniatures in Queen Alexandra’s collection have been added to the catalog of fans on display at the Queen’s Gallery as part of the Royal Collection.

No comments: