Fan - Diana's bath

In the middle of the leaf, which is bordered by small flowers and shell motifs, Diana can be seen bathing: the goddess, lazing sensuously in the company of nymphs. With one hand she adjusts her hair, while with the other she reaches for a basket of fruit held out to her a nymph unties her sandals. In the background two figures with raised arms stand close to each other. The source for the depiction is a painting by Antoine Coypel (Musee de Vosges, Epinal) and its direct model is a reversed image copper engraving made by Gaspard Duchange (1662—1757) in 1723 (Le Bl. 18). The success of the Coypel picture in its day is proved by the fact that eight almost contemporaneous copies are known. This popularity is underscored by the fact that the composition also features on the fan. The two figures in the background probably refer to the story of the nymph Callisto. On both sides the border ornamentation of the leaf broadens into a magnificent still life, in it Amor, birds, a butterfly and a dog stretch a sheet to form a sail. On the verso, in an Oriental-style floral border, a shepherd boy sits next to a lamb resting beneath a tree on the left a naked child is fishing. On the sticks, in the middle and in an oval frame, there is a large company making music on the guard-sticks stands a female figure holding a flower. The execution of the leaf, which exhibits high-level and painterly qualities, partly derives from the high quality of the original, and partly from the fact that the fan painter had better-than-average training.