Fan painted in tempera on paper.
The scene depicts a merry picnic in the countryside.
A couple to the left, possibly the hosts, approaches the cheerful group.
The male figure has what appears to be a rifle in his right hand. He is wearing an unusual peaked cap which has a small curved braid at the back.
It is difficult to date this fan accurately. The style of its mother of pearl and gold damascened sticks indicate it may date from after the 1700s. However, the polonnais dresses depicted in it came into fashion after 1778.
We do know that the object came from Bologna; the development of fashion trends in that city needs further study at the moment.
A plausible hypothesis is that it was reassembled at a later period.
"Details make perfection, and perfection is not a detail."
Leonardo Da Vinci
