Who possesses the magic to reveal the secrets hidden in this silk scarf?

The origins of the scarf's creation remain shrouded, its tale waiting for a custodian to unravel its secrets through the corridors of research!

Subject of the scene: the engraving 'Départ d'une poule de sept chevaux', ca. 1817.
Foulard in monochrome red and white.
Edges hand-rolled, 100% silk.

Charles-Horace Vernet worked as a painter and lithographer, was a rider himself and specialized in painting horses. Vernet broke with the traditional representation of horses and drew on his own observations in stables and riding schools. He provided visual reports of battles for Napoleon and then worked for Louis XVIII

After Vernets' sister was executed by guillotine during the French Revolution, he gave up art for a while. When he started painting again during the reign of the Directoire (1795–1799), he took a completely different approach to his work. He began to draw and paint richly detailed war actions for the greater honor and glory of Napoleon Bonaparte. The date of the image is approximately 1817. In the year 1817, the Battle of Waterloo is still fresh in our memories. It is not clear whether the choice of color of the scarf refers to this bloody episode in history. However, a red color also symbolizes socialism. 100 years after the date of the engraving, in 1917 Lenin came to power through a coup. Dating of the foulard: unknown.
This scarf seems to want to tell a special story that has not yet been fully explored. Hopefully the scarf will find an owner who can reveal these secrets through further research.

The engraving is the first from the collection 'La Course' with four engravings (aquatints) designed by Antoine-Charles-Horace Vernet), born in Bordeaux in 1758.

The engraving is only present in the first edition of La Course.The engravers of the collection are Philibert Louis Debucourt and Gros. Circa 1817.The original was printed in Paris 'chez Rolland, Place des Victoires, Nos 6 et 28'.

Bibliographic data:

Title L'oeuvre gravé de P.-L. Debucourt (1755-1832), par Maurice Fenaille, p. 144.
Author P.-L. Debucourt
Publisher Damascene Morgand, 1899

Binnen de tweedehandsmarkt zijn er opmerkelijke nieuwe trends waar te nemen, waaronder de impact van platforms op de gehele tweedehandsmarkt. De opkomst van grote online platformen heeft ontegenzeggelijk de markt voor tweedehands couture getransformeerd. Hun vermogen om op grote schaal te opereren, gesteund door aandeelhouders en geavanceerde technologieën zoals AI, heeft ze in staat gesteld om een dominante positie in te nemen ten opzichte van kleinere, gespecialiseerde winkels. Dit roept belangrijke vragen op over de toekomst van de tweedehands kledingmarkt, de impact op kleinere ondernemers en de gevolgen voor het milieu.

De strategieën die deze giganten hanteren, zoals het kunstmatig bepalen van prijzen rond de honderd euro voor designerartikelen, kunnen op korte termijn consumenten ten goede komen door hen toegang te geven tot betaalbare luxe. Echter, deze praktijken kunnen op de lange termijn schadelijk zijn voor de markt. Ze ondermijnen de waarde van hoogwaardige tweedehands goederen en kunnen kleine ondernemers die niet kunnen concurreren met de lage prijzen en brede bereik van deze platformen, uit de markt drukken. Bovendien kan het leiden tot een vermindering van de diversiteit aan beschikbare producten, aangezien kleinere winkels die gespecialiseerd zijn in unieke of zeldzame items het moeilijk vinden om te overleven.

Het is belangrijk om een balans te vinden tussen toegang tot betaalbare tweedehands kleding en ondersteuning van kleine ondernemingen om de gezondheid van de tweedehands kledingmarkt te waarborgen. Het behouden van gespecialiseerde winkels is cruciaal voor een gevarieerde markt die zowel economische als ecologische duurzaamheid ondersteunt.

Er is ook een milieuaspect om te overwegen. Hoewel de lage prijzen van tweedehands kleding op deze platforms de concurrentie met fast fashion kunnen aangaan, wat op zich een positieve ontwikkeling is, kan het ook leiden tot devaluatie van kwaliteitskleding. Dit kan resulteren in een verminderde motivatie voor consumenten om dergelijke items door te verkopen of te kopen, met mogelijk meer verspilling als gevolg.

Indien haute couture sneller in de prullenbak zal belanden dan is dat ook zonde omdat couture een aanzienlijke culturele waarde heeft: het kan het publiek veel vertellen over de tijd waarin het is gemaakt, de couturier en de trends van die periode. Van oudsher heeft kleding verzamelwaarde.  Door het behouden van couturestukken kunnen we een stukje geschiedenis bewaren en de schoonheid van vakmanschap en creativiteit blijven vieren. Het is een manier om verbonden te blijven met het verleden.  Verzamelaars spelen daarin een cruciale rol: vergeet niet dat al die mooie musea in ons land hun verzameling te danken hebben aan verzamelaars. Laten we dus koesteren wat we hebben en de magie van couture levend houden voor de generaties die nog komen.

PS: Misschien hoort daar ook wel het vaststellen van een nieuwe prijsondergrens voor de waarde van deze draagbare cultuurstukken bij. 

 (foto:  Camila Quintero Franco)

#recommerce #recycle #circulareconomy #circularfashion

Welcome to The Vintage Reference Guide Blog,  which reviews a wide range of vintage fashion and collectibles catalogs. My name is R. Koop, a former antique dealer, vintage collector magazine copywriter, and art historian. Launching this website was the natural next step for me. As an avid fashion and literature enthusiast, I am thrilled to take you on a tour of the incredible treasures I've discovered. I hope you enjoy it!

'A small celebration of the hand fan'

Worth collecting?

Golden handles, ivory legs, and gemstone bling. Fans became true works of art with portrait miniatures and gemstone inlays. The applications of the fan are also versatile: as fly swatters, masks, state gifts, advertising materials and decoration; fans were used for various purposes, but the main function was to caress the vanity. Collectors feast on rare specimens and will readily pay for a unique item.

And did you know that master artists such as Degas and Van Gogh even painted fans? Of all the inventions, the fan was perhaps one of the most obvious after the stick. Fans were present early. They are mentioned in the Old Testament and we know that the ancient Egyptians also used them around 1300 BC. Not only to cool down, but also for ceremonial purposes, such as carrying large fans at the head of a procession that preceded an important person. The profession of fan bearer existed at that time!

Some beautiful specimens have been found in the tomb of Tutankhamun (around 1330 BC). One of them shows a gold-embossed representation of the young monarch during the ostrich hunt. The feathers obtained from such a hunt were used for fans. At least for the richer people, because the less fortunate probably had to make do with cheaper materials. Also in China, where fans were in use at least a thousand years before Christ. There, peacock feathers were used by the upper classes, which were later often replaced by silk and a fabric called kossu. However, in China you did not have the free choice of your fan. The law prescribed exactly which classes could use which type of impeller.

Over time, fans, especially in Western Europe from the 17th century onwards, evolved into a wide variety of shapes, sizes and materials. The fan leaf could be made of parchment, silk, leather, lace and even mica. The legs of the fan were made of various materials such as wood, ivory, tortoiseshell and mother of pearl. Fans were often decorated with carvings, gemstones, portrait miniatures and paintings. The value of a fan was determined not only by its materials, but also by its beauty, age and rarity.
Some fans can even fetch significant sums at auction, especially if they are painted by famous artists such as Edgar Degas, Vincent van Gogh and Oscar Kokoschka. If you want to score a unique fan at auction, delve into history and visit exhibitions. The market value of the fans is not always determined by the materials used. Collectors pay more attention to beauty, age and rarity. They will pay less for any 19th century fan with a silver handle than for an 18th century mica fan. Mica is not expensive, but there are few mica fans and only two have come onto the market in ten years.

Anyone who wants to collect fans would do well to attend and view auctions so that it becomes clear what their value is. It is advisable for fans of fans to inform themselves well and orientate themselves before purchasing a valuable fan.

Annotation for the pictures above, from left to right:

1. Ostrich feather hand-fan with an ivory handle discovered in the tomb of Tutankhamun dates back to the 18th dynasty of Egypt, around 1332 to 1323 BC
2. This magnificent fan was once decorated with thirty white and brown ostrich feathers on its upper, semicircular edge, which were captured as trophies by Tutankhamun himself during an ostrich hunt. The fan made of gilded wood is decorated on both sides with depictions of such a hunt. On one side of the fan sheet you can see Tutankhamun - standing in his chariot with his bow drawn and ready to shoot - taking aim at a fleeing ostrich. The animal, already hit by an arrow in the neck, is chased by its dog, and its chariot horses rush after the ostrich. Sizes: L 105.5 cm, W. 18.5 cm
3. Folding fan with mother of pearl monture & painted leaf, signed ‘Billotey.’ 
French, c. 1905
 (Helene Alexander Collection), Location: The Fan Museum in Greenwich

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Foto: Erik Kistovs