A short essay on the occasion of the exhibition at the
Musée de la Nacre et de la Tabletterie.
Mother of pearl is a most elegant natural material from marine bivalves and mollusks, such as the
pearl oyster (Pinctada margaritifera), the
Haliotis or Abalone, and
Nautilus shells. It is a brittle material, as can be seen by
electron miscroscopy. Since antiquity, mother of pearl is used to embellish objects e.g. as inlay in furniture or musical instruments. On early fans, nacre was used in small plates fixed onto ivory as techniques to create longer mother of pearl sticks were not known. From about mid-18th century, full mother of pearl sticks can be found. Most precious are nacre brisé fans cut like lace around 1820, or massive brisé fans that were rather to show off than to fan oneself. Below some examples on how nacre was used on fans:
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| Nacre plates on ivory, ca. 1720 |
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| Iridescent nacre below guard ca. 1780 |
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| Nacre on ivory, painted and varnished, ca. 1740 |
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| Nacre sticks with Amor, ca. 1750, maybe Chinese |
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| Nacre petals applied on Chinoiserie fan, ca. 1780 |
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| Nacre "thumb"ca. 1830 |
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| Duvelleroy, flowers inlaid, ca. 1860 |
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| Nacre with golden ornaments, marriage fan, ca. 1860 |
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| Anilin-tainted MOP brisé, early 20th c., probably Vienna |
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