Jeu de Piquet des différentes nations de l'Europe fan

This folding fan, titled ‘Jeu de Piquet des différentes nations de l’Europe’ ('A New Game of Piquet now in play among the different nations of Europe'), was made in Great Britain in 1734 by an unknown maker. It is constructed from a hand-coloured etched vellum leaf mounted onto pierced and carved bone sticks.

The leaf depicts a satirical political scene referencing the War of the Polish Succession (1733–1738). The composition portrays a card table surrounded by figures representing seven participating nations: Sardinia, France, Spain, the Austrian Empire, Saxony, Russia, and Poland. Although the leaf contains text written in French, grammatical inaccuracies and misspellings point to English production. Britain is represented outside the conflict, accompanied by text expressing the sentiment: ‘I’m preparing though I don’t play, but if I am nettled I’ll take up the cards’.