141 - Commemorative fan from the Estates-General convened by King Louis XVI in 1789.

Commemorative fan from the Estates-General convened by King Louis XVI in 1789. The 16-rib frame is made of rosewood. The paper panel features a design printed using the etching process and enhanced with watercolor. The obverse is adorned with a central humorous scene depicting King Louis XVI surrounded by the allegorical figures of the Nobility, the Clergy, and the Third Estate, with allegorical decorations on either side within rectangular cartouches—an allegory of agricultural abundance on the left and military success on the right—and inscribed at the top: “Under Henry by Sully, the French were happy,” “France, led by Brienne at the brink of her grave and guided by Necker, will be reborn,” “Necker holds Pallas’s Wisdom and Aegis, and the just Louis has Minerva as his guide,” “Under Louis, thanks to Necker, no more onerous taxes,” framed by a border of stylized geometric motifs. The reverse features a popular patriotic song depicting the peasant, the merchant, and the people. Small tears in the paper; traces of previous restorations. France, folk art, circa 1789. H. 27.5 x W. 50 cm. Related Works This object is part of a broader body of everyday objects featuring patriotic designs. Two fans commemorating King Louis XVI’s convening of the Estates-General are housed at the Musée Carnavalet (Paris): the first foreshadows the benefits of the meeting of the Estates-General (inv. EV 158), while the second depicts the king surrounded by various allegorical figures representing the Estates-General (inv. EV 533). Bibliography Rolf Reichardt, Symbolic Fans of the Revolution: Iconographic Sources and Intermedial Relationships, Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2024. With its CITES certificate No. FR2603300122-K authorizing intra-EU trade, dated May 20, 2026.