Coronation of Napoleon Fan: M.309-1985

Current Location: In storage

Titles

Coronation of Napoleon Fan

Maker(s)

Production: Unknown

Entities

Folding fan

Description

Double leaf of chickenskin painted in bodycolour and gilt. Gold paper binding on upper edge. Mother-of-pearl sticks and guards, pierced and inlaid with gilt spangles, the latter also set with clear pastes (13+2). Rivet with mother-of-pearl washer (?), barrel rivet. Front: Painted overall with the Coronation of Napoleon after part of the painting "Le Sacre de Napoleon" by Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825). Reverse: An asymmetrically placed floral spray and two insects painted in gold. Sticks: Pierced with small pointed and rectangular holes and set with asterisk-shaped gold spangles of graduated sizes. Guards: Pierced down the middle and set with four cut pastes of graduated sizes surrounded by tiny gold sequins; at the top and down the edges, asterisk-shaped spangles

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

19th Century, Early#
Napoleon I
Production date: circa AD 1807

Note

The Coronation of Napoleon took place on 2 December 1804. The design is after Jacques-Louis David's 'Le Sacré de Napoléon', painted 1805-1807, now in the Louvre. It shows the moment Napoleon was about to place the crown on his own head,