Plumes & Paillettes at the Concert Noble in Brussels

The second Biennale Art Nouveau/Art Deco weekend brought the fans of mm to the place where they were originally most in use: in a ball room, the Concert Noble. Therefore, the topic "Plumes & Paillettes" was selected, to show Art Nouveau and Art Deco fans for evening events such as balls or dîner-dansant. Created in 1873, the rooms of the Concert Noble are to these days used for balls, notably the "Bal Viennois".

 

   Composition in blue-green; composition in rose-orange

Most of the spectacular feather fans stem from the HS collection, Brussels. A collector for more than 30 years, he specialises in exquisite and extravagant fans, and for the first time showed them at this Biennale together with mm's fans.

 

The rarest of feather fans is a couple (yes, two) equal pink flamingo fans from the property of the Princesse d'Orléans and a parrot fan with the head of the animal on the guard. The Lophophore fan is of the mm collection.

mm and HS in fromt of the Paillette and mask fans

Among the many visitors were two ladies from Spain that showed us their fans that they always carry in their handbags: they select them carefully from specialised dealers as the fan needs to have a balanced feel in the hand and to shut rapidly and with a sound that reminds a machine gun!

SPECIAL THANKS to "Peinture-Fraiche", THE art and architecture bookshop in Brussels near Place Chatelain that generously lent us plexi stands for the fan exhibition!