'Venus at her Toilet' or 'The Air'. An ivory, tortoiseshell and mother of pearl fan, Italian, circa 1680

the dark-coloured leaf, after a painting by Francesco Albani, 1621-1633, painted with Venus at her toilet assisted by her maidens and cherubs, in a palace with an elaborate fountain and vegetation, by the shore the temple of Knidos rising from the waves, in the skies, other cherubs repairing her chariot and feeding the swans that draw it, within gilded scrollwork border, the reverse with a spray of flowers on a dark background, the ivory sticks with veneered tortoiseshell, mother of pearl and piqué decoration, blackened on the reverse to match the leaf, mother of pearl pivot, in its original shagreen box

very fine painting despite wear and tears along folds and edges, some pin holes along folds and staining, especially to central section. some pique decoration missing.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The original painting, in reverse, was commissioned, as a series of four depicting the elements, by Ferdinand Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua in 1621 for the Villa Favorita. The series was purchased by the Medici family after Ferdinand Gonzaga's death in 1626 and this painting was later purchased by Louis XIV in 1685. It is now in the Musée du Louvre. The painting was first engraved and published by Etienne Baudet (1638-1711), a French engraver living in Rome in 1672; see an example in the Metropolitan Museum, New York (number 58.555.2).