Militaria: Two Scarce French Miniature Brisé Fans from the Great War, WWI. The first, dated left to right 1914, 1915 and 1916, is painted on bone with the flags of the allies, and ribboned with laurel leaves. Both guards, when seen open on the recto, and the verso, are painted with the Lebel gun and the blue French Kepi cap. On the verso, a painted battlefield attack scene, the French wearing the "bleu horizon" uniform, with buildings. This is one of three fans known to show an attack in an urban environment. Guard approx. 3.1/8 inches or 8cm. The second fan, painted on wood, is ribboned with the French tri-color. The recto shows two French flags with crossed arms on their flag stand, within a wreath of laurels. Above the ribbon each stick tip is painted with flowers and berries, blue, white and red, again the tri-color. The verso is painted with a field canon "Notre 75" (75 mm gun, well detailed on this fan) and is dated 1914/1915 and 1916, and signed Teoda. Guard approx. 3.1/8 inches or 8cm.

See "Fans: War and Peace" published following an exhibition at the Fan Museum, Greenwich, in 2009, for other examples, and the comprehensive research on the subject of WWI miniature fans by FCI member Ondine Pavy-Pluvinage., in particular Bulletins numbers 99 and 101