Tambourine Of Japanese Lacquer Frivolity, Mother-of-pearl And Gold Mounting, Paris, 1717-1722

- Tatting shuttle
- Gold, mother-of-pearl and Japanese lacquer panels
- Paris, 1717-1722 re-stamped in 1750-1756
- Length: 138 mm; width: 22mm & 24mm
- Good general condition, one mother-of-pearl plate cracked, some wear
- Provenance: private collection, Sotheby's sale of April 12, 2018 n°19

- Tatting shuttle of Japanese lacquer plates in relief with landscape decorations lined with mother-of-pearl and gold mounting.

- Shuttles are used to wind the thread and work it for weaving and lacework. Thread lace made by hand using this process is called tatting. This use of the shuttle is typical of the 18th century. They allowed ladies to appear occupied "with a small piece of work and to have the appropriate bearing", according to Madame de Genlis: a virtuous occupation that allowed the hands of these ladies to be highlighted. We find an example of this in the portrait of Madame Adélaïde by Nattier. These shuttles, luxury items in the same way as the snuffbox, were sold by merchants-mercers. We find them in all sorts of materials: gold, damascened steel, cut ivory, porcelain, mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell, ... lacquer

- Hallmarks: (the central part): discharge: fleur-de-lys, discharge of small uncharged works, Paris from October 1, 1717 to February 15, 1722 [1, n°332]; discharge: hen's head for small gold and silver works, Paris from October 1, 1750 to October 1, 1756 [1, n°413] probably affixed as part of a resale in the trade.

- Ref.: [1] Bimbenet-Privat, Michèle & de Fontaines, Gabriel: "La datation de l'orfèvrerie parisienne sous l'ancien régime", Paris Musée, 1995; Collective: "The secrets of French lacquer: Martin varnish", exhibition catalog at the MAD from February 13 to June 8, 2014