The battle of Arbela, fan circa 1710
The battle of Arbela, fan circa 1710
Fan, with a skin leaf mounted in the English style and painted with a highly detailed battle scene, probably that of Arbelae (or Gaugamela), where Alexander the Great faced Darius III on 1 October 331 BC.
The Macedonian army is in the process of defeating the Persian Empire: the infantry and cavalry are charging, prisoners are amidst the armed men, horses have had their limbs severed, corpses litter the ground and in the background a pile of enemy shields can be seen.
A very fine sticks, delicately pierced and engraved with a motif of intertwined dolphins resting on a shell. The guards are carved with dolphins, seahorses, seaweed and a figure carrying baskets of fruit.
When the fan is folded, the base forms an imposing dolphin, may be a reference to a Dauphin of France (Louis VI, Louis VII or Louis VII, the future Louis XV).
Good condition (minor flaking of paint)
H:
