27th Jun, 2019 11:30 GMT/BST

The Fan Collection

 
Lot 2032
 

2032

The Claude Glass Fan: An 18th Century Fan, with a double paper leaf, mounted on bone sticks,...

The Claude Glass Fan: An 18th Century Fan, with a double paper leaf, mounted on bone sticks, carved, and painted in pink and blue. The gorge is carved in horizontal bands. I make no apology for letting the words of Judith Elliott herself describe this fan: The central cartouche shows three fashionable young people using Claude Glasses to view the scene behind them (Figs 1 and 2). The obverse is painted with a spray of flowers.
Guard length 10.5 inches or 27cm

A Claude Glass (or Black Mirror) is a small mirror, slightly convex in shape, with its surface tinted a dark colour. These glasses were used by artists, travellers and connoisseurs of landscape and landscape painting. They had the effect of abstracting the subject reflected in the glass from its surroundings, thus reducing and simplifying the colour and tonal range of scenes and scenery to provide a quality suitable for painting. Therefore, they were used by picturesque artists in England in the late 18th and 19th centuries as a frame for drawing landscapes. The user turned their back on the scene to observe the framed view through the tinted mirror.

The glass is named after Claude Lorrain, a 17th century landscape painter, whose name became synonymous with the picturesque aesthetic. William Gilpin, the supposed inventor of the picturesque ideal, advocated the use of a Claude Glass because "they give the object of nature a soft, mellow tinge like the colouring of that Master". Claude Glasses were widely used by tourists and amateur artists, who quickly became the targets of satire. These glasses were in use in the English Lake District and are mentioned by Thomas West in his "A Guide to the Lakes", published in 1778. He selected four 'stations' around Windermere for excellent views of the largest natural lake in England. These stations were marked on the map of Windermere included in the book on "A Series of Accurate Maps of the Principal Lakes of Cumberland, Westmorland, & Lancashire" by Peter Crosthwaite and published in 1809, soon after his death. He was born in the village of Crosthwaite in 1735. Within months of entering service with the East India Company, he commanded the 'Otter', a gunship that protected the trading vessels of the Company from marauding Malay pirates. After ten years, and with failing health, he returned to Cumberland and married a lady from Keswick. In 1780, he opened a museum in Keswick, styling himself: "Peter Crosthwaite, Admiral of the Keswick Regatta, Keeper of the Museum at Keswick, Guide, Pilot, Geographer and Hydrographer to the Nobility and Gentry". He showed foresight because the tourist movement had scarcely begun. He surveyed the major lakes and produced accurate maps on which he indicated selected viewing points, thus establishing a fashion for scenic tourism.

See the article by Judith Elliott in the FCI Bulletin # 97 Winter 2013 pages 44-45

Purchased at Christie's SK on the 10th December 1996, lot 90, noted as French, circa 1760

Sold for £1,200
Estimated at £700 - £1,000


 

. The monture is sound and the paint colours remain good. The leaf is a little tired, with some nicks to the upper folds and a few dark marks, not so easy to see as the design is so busy. There is one small hole to the top left of the leaf where a brown stain can be seen. One fold, just in from the upper guard, is partially split as it meets the guard, and at the shoulder of this guard there is a metal plate as a repair. The top leaf layer is lifting in a couple of places but intact behind. The fan is still strong.

 


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Regarding Pictures, Prints and Works on Paper, works are not examined out of the frame, unless specifically stated. Tennants Auctioneers do not cover damage to gilded wood or plaster picture frames, or to picture frame glass whilst the item is in our possession.

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Auction: The Fan Collection, 27th Jun, 2019

The Fan Collection

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