Featured No luck identifying this antique folding fan... help!

Hi everyone,

I am new here, and stumbled upon this great forum. Thank you for your insight! I have a pretty good and broad knowledge of antiques and am a skilled researcher, so typically I don't have issues finding things. This one is giving me a run for my money!

This belonged to my great, great aunt, who traveled the world in the late 19th century and early 1900s. I have a number of fans, and this one I think is French, in that it is so pastoral, but I am coming up empty finding any that look like this or are similar in style. I'd love some thoughts as to what it is. Thank you in advance! It's a lovely piece!

 

Hi SDHPDX! (hope I got all those letters correct)

Welcome to Antiquers..............

We have a member who will be able to tell you something about it............

I'll tag her.

@Any Jewelry

 

Lovely graphics. Late 1800'ish aesthetic design!

 

A very charming fan, SDH. Agree with Bakers, late 19th century.
Would love to see some details. And could we see the back please?

Did your great-great aunt leave notes with them?
The costume of the woman on the left, in the detail below, looks South German or Austrian rather than French, but I could be wrong. The bold cartouches also have a more German look.

 

Or Northern Italian these days.

 

I know nothing about fans.
However, that sure looks like a border collie in the middle of the fan.

The Border Collie is a herding breed of dog bred to herd livestock, mainly sheep. They originated at the Angelo-Scottish border, and the breed was developed in the wet, cold, rough hilly terrain of Ireland, Scotland and England.
https://www.bellaclanbordercollies.com/about-border-collies.html

Based on that, I would guess, English or Scottish. But again, I know nothing of fans.

 

I think it is a breed with an upward curled tail. That would include several related breeds, mostly German and Dutch I think. But not the border collies.

It would have to be a breed that was already around at the time the fan was painted.

 

Your responses brought a smile to my face, which is so needed right now! Here are two more images. Thank you, everyone, for the warm and helpful welcome!

The squiggle on the vine is just more vine with teeny buds. Good thought, though.

And, not a hint at all from an family clues. I have lots and lots of things and have gradually been selling things I don't need. (Way too much stuff was kept by generations and there is no real rhyme or reason other than that things were kept in boxes for decades and kept just to keep.)

 

Alsatian perhaps? I posted pictures below.

 

Border Collies have a slight curve to their tails. When in action their tails curl even more.

Basically a German Shepherd. That dog doesn't look like a shepherd to me.

Again not an expert. Just my opinion.
Border Collies

 

Flipper agrees that it is a good possibility.

But, she is also leaning towards the black and white Alpine Shepard, which seems to have the same taste in coats.

 

@flipper
Interesting that you pulled that off the Border Collie Museum site.

http://www.bordercolliemuseum.org/BCCousins/EuropeWestern/Germany.html

http://www.bordercolliemuseum.org/BCCousins/BC_Cousins.html

 

Did you try an image search without the tape measure? I enjoyed looking at all the beautiful fans that came up, so thanks for posting this question.

 

What"s the printing on ribs 3,4,5,&6 from the right? Or maybe it's a picture? Or are those ribs replacements?

 

If you are able to zoom in on your screen, you can see it the patterns that are printed on. They are all original. I am having such a hard time nailing this down! I love all the replies! Stay healthy!