Artwork
Design for a Fan: Courtly Figures in a Landscape
Design for a Fan: Courtly Figures in a Landscape is an ink print by the Baroque artist Noël Cochin. It dates from 1601 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Noël Cochin’s 1601 print, titled Design for a Fan: Courtly Figures in a Landscape, is an etching and engraving executed on laid paper. The composition is arranged within a fan‑shaped frame, its edges curling outward in decorative scrollwork. The monochrome image depicts a bustling riverside scene populated by elegantly dressed figures and children at play, set against trees and a distant town.
Subject & Meaning
The print presents a leisurely gathering of aristocratic individuals in an open landscape, suggesting a courtly pastime or festive outing. The inclusion of children and the relaxed posture of the adults convey a harmonious social atmosphere, while the fan‑like border alludes to the object’s original function as a design for a decorative accessory.
Technique & Style
Cochin employed fine, intersecting lines characteristic of early 17th‑century etching and engraving to render textures such as fabric folds, foliage, and water ripples. The precision of the incised strokes creates a crisp delineation of figures and architectural elements, while the delicate hatching conveys depth and atmospheric perspective within the limited monochrome palette.
History & Provenance
Created in 1601, the work was intended as a design for a handheld fan, a popular luxury item among the French elite of the period. Though the original fan has not survived, the printed design has been preserved in several European print collections, documenting Cochin’s contribution to decorative arts and the circulation of courtly imagery in early modern France.
Artist & collection
The Fair at Xeuilley
Dying Soldiers by the Roadside
The Slave Market
Venetian Party in a Chateau Garden
The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
The Sending Out of the Apostles
Dying Soldiers by the Roadside
View of a Garden
The Fair at Impruneta
Christ and the Disciples in the Field
The Adoration of the Magi
Christ and the Woman of Samaria