French Revolutionary Period Cut-Work Fan with Portrait Medallions of Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, Louis XVI, and Jean Sylvain Bailly
Circa 1790 — width (expanded) 16½ inches; height 11¼ inches
 
A finely worked wooden brisé fan, the guards and sticks intricately pierced with geometric and foliate ornament, retaining a warm, honey-toned surface. Three inset oval reserves, delicately bordered in pale blue, depict bust-length portraits of Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, Louis XVI, and Jean Sylvain Bailly, rendered in a manner consistent with contemporary printed or painted miniatures adapted for fashionable display.
 
Such objects embody the intersection of personal adornment and public sentiment at the outset of the Revolution. The inclusion of these three figures—royal authority, civic leadership, and liberal reform—captures a brief moment of alignment in the early 1790s, preserved here in an elegant and evocative form.
 
Exhibited: Bienvenue au Général Lafayette, The Cabildo, April 9, 2025 – January 18, 2026 (commemorating the 200th anniversary of Lafayette’s visit to Louisiana).
 
Condition excellent, with light handling wear consistent with age.