Folding fan: M.344-1985

Current Location: In storage

Maker(s)

Entities

Folding fan
assignat fan

Description

Double paper leaf printed in black and brown and painted in green water-colour. Pale pink binding on upper edge. Sticks and guards of shaped, dark-coloured striped wood (17+2). Rivet with ivory washers.
Front: Trompe l'oeil design of Assignats, including examples dated 1791 and 1792. Reverse: Undecorated.

Notes

History note: Colonel Leonard C. Messel (1872-1953); his daughter Anne, Countess of Rosse (1902-1992)

Legal notes

Purchased with a grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and a gift from The Friends of the Fitzwilliam Museum

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bought (1985-01-28) by Countess of Rosse, Anne

Dating

18th Century, Late
First Republic (Convention)
Circa 1792 - Circa 1793

Note

Issued by the National Assembly in 1789 as 5% bonds repayable from confiscated ecclesiastical property, assignats became currency in 1790. Their issuance in large numbers led to violent inflation and in 1796 metal currency was restored.

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Leaf composed of ink ( black) paper ( double) watercolours
Sticks+guards composed of wood ( dark-coloured, striped)
Washers composed of ivory
Guards Length 23.7 cm