Romanian Royal Memorabilia: Carmen Sylva’s Fan auctioned in 2006
This is a rare and valuable fan that belonged to Queen Elisabeth of Romania, which was estimated at Christie’s, London (South Kensington) between £3,000 – £5,000 ($5,211 – $8,685), and sold for £2,880 ($5,003) in February 2006. I would say that the amount paid for the acquisition at the auction was quite a good price for this more peculiar historical item. DM
Description: Queen Elisabeth of Romania’s Fan. The canepin leaf painted with wisteria signed E. Fanty Lescure and painted with a poem: ’Une Aile d’Ange d’aigle ou d’abeile c’est toujours une ail!’ signed ‘Carmen Sylva’, with mother of pearl sticks, the gold guardsticks enamelled in colours with daffodils, iris, lily and sunflowers, unsigned but probably by Paul Telge, Berlin, possibly to a design by the Queen of Romania, 33cm, circa 1895, in Perspex case. Provenance: Princess Elizabeth Bibesco.
A fan also painted by Emma Fanty Lescure with very similar gold enamelled guardsticks was sold in these rooms 13 July 1978. It was in a fan box labelled Paul Telge – Berlin and had a note enclosed: Fan ornamented in gold enamels designed by Carmen Sylva H.M. the Queen of Romania; it was not painted with a poem signed Carmen Sylva. It is now no. 141 in the Helen Alexander collection and has been exhibited: Royal Fans, The Fan Circle International, 1985-6, Salisbury, Guildford and Harwood House, no. 160; The Fan Museum, 2001, no. 45; Royal Fans, The Fan Museum Greenwich, 2002, no. 47.
