Fan — Triumph of Harlequin, Italy, ca. 1750
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
ca. 1750
Fan in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number T.153-1920), made in Italy, dated ca. 1750, attributed to Subleyras, Felicita Tibaldi, Pierre Subleyras.
The museum's brief description reads: Fan, Triumph of Harlequin, watercolour on kid leather, with carved and pierced mother-of-pearl sticks, silvered and gilded, design painted by Maria Felicita Subleyras, Italy, ca.1750. Museum description: A folding fan with a pleated mount of kid leather, supported on sticks of carved and pierced mother-of-pearl, silvered and gilded. The kid leather mount has been decorated on both sides with designs applied in watercolour.
The quality of painting on both sides of the fan leaf is extremely fine. The main design illustrates the ‘Triumph of Harlequin’. It depicts a triumphal procession of Commedia dell’Arte characters with a carriage on an open-air terrace. A group of Harlequins cavort around the car, which is being pulled by other Harlequins, in which is seated the figure of Columbine. Three women wearing dresses with the harlequin pattern accompany the party, each appearing to be propositioned by a Harlequin.
A flight of steps guarded by stone lions and flanked by fountains frames the central scene of the car. The design on the reverse shows a tall ship alongside a smaller sailing boat, anchored near a dark cliff. To the left of the scene is a wide rowing boat containing three… The museum records it as Watercolour on kid leather, with carved and pierced mother-of-pearl sticks, silvered and gilded, measuring Length 11.75 in; Width 21.63 in; Height 308 mm; Width 532 mm.
These details come from the museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
This folding fan, with an animated illustration depicting the ‘Triumph of Harlequin’, evokes the spirit of the Venetian Carnival. It shows costumed figures associated with the Commedia dell’Arte travelling in a lively procession, with the distinctive characters of Columbine and Harlequin riding in a chariot pulled by other Harlequins. Commedia dell’Arte was a traditional Italian form of improvised theatre based on a set of stock characters. The distinctive costumes of these characters were often worn by people during Carnival in Venice, when the whole city was transformed into a costumed masquerade. In the 18th century, visitors from all over Europe flocked to the Venice Carnival and fans with lively designs, showing cavorting and masked characters would provide a fitting memento for tourists. The quality of painting on the fan leaf is extremely fine and makes use of a distinctive stippled technique. The main design is in the same tradition as the fashionable Carnival scenes of the painter Pietro Longhi (1702-85). The reverse design, showing a tall ship anchored by a dark cliff at sunset, is equally accomplished, with the scene echoing the atmospheric landscape painting tradition established by the French artist Claude Lorraine in the 17th century. The depiction of ‘The Triumph of Harlequin’ appears to derive from a design for a fan painted by the miniaturist Maria Felicita Subleyras (1707-1770), for Elisabeth Farnese, the Italian-born Queen of Spain who was an avid…
Physical characteristics
- Material
- kid leather, watercolour, mother-of-pearl, silver-gilt
- Dimensions
- Length 11.75 in; Width 21.63 in; Height 308 mm; Width 532 mm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Watercolour on kid leather, with carved and pierced mother-of-pearl sticks, silvered and gilded
- Maker recorded
- Subleyras, Felicita Tibaldi, Pierre Subleyras
- Place recorded
- Italy
Identification
- Museum object name
- Fan
- Museum object number
- T.153-1920
- Museum system number
- O87194
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type, maker and catalogue references against a specialist reference.