140 - A revolutionary commemorative fan marking the Storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789.

A revolutionary commemorative fan marking the Storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789. The 18-rib ivory frame is engraved with stylized geometric and floral motifs and was originally covered with a thin layer of silver leaf. The paper panel features a polychrome design painted in gouache and hand-inscribed; the obverse is centered on a view of the Bastille surrounded by various figures—defenders and attackers—present during the assault: on the left, Monsieur De Launay, governor of the prison; Sieur Hamé, a grenadier of the French Guards and the first to join the assault; and Sieur Hembert, a watchmaker’s apprentice and the second to join the assault; and on the right, Monsieur Élie, an officer of the Queen’s Regiment and bearer of the terms of surrender, all labeled on either side of the scene within oval cartouches, with a stylized red and green geometric frieze along the border. The reverse features three patriotic verses handwritten in brown ink celebrating the revolutionary victory, composed by Mr. Déduit. Small stains; old paper restorations on the reverse. France, folk art from the Revolutionary period. H. 26.5 x W. 48 cm. Bibliography Rolf Reichardt, Symbolic Fans of the Revolution: Iconographic Sources and Intermedial Relationships, Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2024. Includes CITES certificate No. FR26-K authorizing intra-EU trade, dated July 2026.