late 19th c. Europe. ivory sticks. replica Vernis Martin brisé.
Sometime around 1720, a family named Martin operated their business in Paris. They gained such renown for their skill in painting items lightly in oil, then protecting them with a colorless varnish, that the eldest brother became styled as "Vernisseur du roi." After his death in 1749, his widow and one of his brothers continued the business for perhaps ten more years.
The general layout of the Vernis Martin brisés remained unchanged: the artists used different designs or different colors to create the illusion that the upper parts of the sticks are a pleated leaf. The lower portions are usually painted more lightly, either in subject or tone, or with a smaller scale painting. The ribbon holding the sticks together often appears to be part of the scene or is painted as a decorative border.
The artists executed these visual tricks with great skill; the vernisseurs equaled that talent. Much as no one has quite figured out Stradivarius' ways with a violin, no one has cracked the riddle of the Martins' colorless varnish. Fans made by the brothers retain their vibrant colors two and a half centuries later; replicas fashioned by Martin "wannabes" are usually not as richly hued. Even more telling is that the varnish of the replicas muddies with time, taking on a yellow, green, or gray-brown cast. Even more than three-quarters of a century ago, one expert warned collectors that "Genuine specimens in good condition are extremely rare and of considerable value" (Percival 152).
True Vernis Martins remain extremely difficult to find (much less afford), and most collectors are thrilled to discover a good 19th century replica. In this one, three peasants greet one another in the foreground; a mountain stream meanders under an arched bridge near ruins in the background. This scene is another clue to the fan's status as a replica: a true 18th century fan would not depict real peasants, (as opposed to the later fashion of courtiers posing as shepherds and shepherdesses). Most 18th century fans were tools of the rich, who did not often bother to notice those beneath them, much less immortalize them on a treasured accessory.
The verso shows a similar scene.
Mayor, Collector's, p. 30; Percival 151-7; Perthuis p. 137.
15. accession H.96.82 3QR
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