Fan

The upper edge of the leaf is bordered by a festoon of roses tied to a ribbon, and beneath it, in a rolling riverside landscape painted in pastel colours, there is a five-member company, distributed on either side of an oval medallion. A bow of ribbon bursts forth onto the medallion from the ribbon embellishing the edge of the leaf. In this medallion, beneath an eight-pointed (sic!) coronet, are two coats of arms painted on shields supported by a classical-style pedestal. On the right is the coat of arms of the Schmidel von Schmiden family, from the Czech Lands. The coat of arms on the left is presents the Browne de Camus family, Count of the Reich: in the middle of an upright triangular shield with silver and black slashes is a two-headed eagle with a coronet above the heads Siebmacher. The ornamentation on the helmet is a right arm holding a sword stretching out to the right of the helmet. Lions hold the shield. On a scroll is a motto: Fortitudine et Prudentia, and below: Fidem Serwabo (sic!) Genusque = I shall preserve faith and kind by courage and wisdom. On the edge of the medallion, above the eight-pointed coronet, is the following: Sancti Romani Imp: Aequites (sic!). To the right of the coats of arms is a lady dressed in pink. On her left, close to her, is a man in a light-coloured uniform, his sword at his side and his hat in his hand. In the facial features of the latter — unlike the other persons depicted — a certain attempt at portraiture can be detected. Behind the couple, at slight distance from them, is a man. To the left of the coats of arms a third man can be seen, near whom a small boy pursues a butterfly. In the background there is a small group of buildings, and in the foreground ducks in flight and ducks swimming on the water can be seen a punt nestles close to the bank. To the bottom right, on a scroll, is the mark: Zu finden bey Jos: Grüner / in der eißernen Thür. A. 1785.

The verso is divided into two parts by a straight line drawn at the highest point of the lower span. In each of the two side corners, in oval frames, two naked children make music, dance and play in the open air. Above, the interior of a room can be seen. The little picture depicts the milieu of the Rococo lady sitting in front of the window with a somewhat topographical faithfulness: on her table is a flower, letters (?) and scissors. She holds a small book and beside her is an embroidery frame. On a circular table with a chair on either side is a coffee service, and further off a sofa. Ornamental vases holding bouquets of flowers divide up the wall into painted fields. A garland of ribbon borders the upper edge of the leaf. The sticks are embellished with painted flowers, and the guard-sticks by the figure of a gardening girl (?). The fan, which was undoubtedly intended to be a wedding present, was in all probability made in Pozsony, although the town's name is not given in the signature text. According to information kindly provided by Eva Toranova (Bratislava), the designation "eißerne Thür" occurs very frequently in the material in the city archives, and generally in connection with the ghetto. Joseph Grüner was perhaps the same man as the fan- maker Jozsef Grünich, whose child — according to the obituary column of the Pressburger Zeitung — died in 1792. Regarded earlier as Viennese work.