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Source Description
Both practical and fashionable, fans were essential accessories for elite European women in the 1700s. Often decorated with elaborate motifs, a fan could reveal information about its wearer. It might expose a woman’s artistic or literary tastes, divulge her politics, or disclose her knowledge of current cultural conversations. The design seen here represents an episode from <em>The Aeneid</em>, a Latin epic poem, suggesting the owner’s interest in recent translations of classical poetry. It could also operate as a metaphor for the Enlightenment: seen entering a cave at right, the hero, Aeneas, travels through the underworld where he faces harrowing challenges and converses with the dead before emerging newly enlightened and victorious.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
120821
label
Aeneas in the Underworld, Design for a Fan
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
120821
contentType
drawing
title
Aeneas in the Underworld, Design for a Fan
description
Both practical and fashionable, fans were essential accessories for elite European women in the 1700s. Often decorated with elaborate motifs, a fan could reveal information about its wearer. It might expose a woman’s artistic or literary tastes, divulge her politics, or disclose her knowledge of current cultural conversations. The design seen here represents an episode from <em>The Aeneid</em>, a Latin epic poem, suggesting the owner’s interest in recent translations of classical poetry. It could also operate as a metaphor for the Enlightenment: seen entering a cave at right, the hero, Aeneas, travels through the underworld where he faces harrowing challenges and converses with the dead before emerging newly enlightened and victorious.
date
after 1730
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q80016460
creators
1888
genreSpecific
Drawing
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Sheet: 27.2 x 54.8 cm (10 11/16 x 21 9/16 in.); Secondary Support: 35.2 x 64.7 cm (13 7/8 x 25 1/2 in.); Tertiary Support: 35.2 x 64.7 cm (13 7/8 x 25 1/2 in.)
cul
France, 18th century
accession
1941.547
Source extras
tec
watercolor and gouache
tombstone
Aeneas in the Underworld, Design for a Fan, after 1730. Follower of François Boucher (French, 1703–1770). Watercolor and gouache; sheet: 27.2 x 54.8 cm (10 11/16 x 21 9/16 in.); secondary support: 35.2 x 64.7 cm (13 7/8 x 25 1/2 in.); tertiary support: 35.2 x 64.7 cm (13 7/8 x 25 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. Otto Miller, 1941.547
supportMaterials
description
laid paper, laid down on two pieces (joined) of brown laid paper, laid down on a tertiary support of cream(3) laid paper
collection
DR - French
didYouKnow
The 1700s is often considered to be a golden age of fan design.
creditline
Gift of Mrs. Otto Miller
updatedAt
2026-06-02 11:23:17.499000
sourceId
120821
dept
Drawings
coll
DR - French
med
watercolor and gouache
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
344cfcea2bbb42b7