COVER N. 217 -  FRANCE

Postmark: Métiers d'art Éventailliste- 1er Jour 10.02.23 - 26 Romans-sur-Isère

Posted on the 10th February; Received on the 27th February 2023

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Every now and then, my highly anticipated daily checking of the  letterbox is rewarded not only with the joy of finding one or more envelopes carefully addressed and stamped with bits of history and culture from around the world, which of course is the main  reason why I embarked on this cover colleting journey, but also with the extra bonus of finding a particular cover that stands out from the pack for a particular reason. 

This of course  is an highly subjective matter and has only to do with my own personal taste, since the reason for my considering a cover a bit more special than the rest can be due to a number of factors that might range from the quality of the handwriting on the address to the diversity and number of stamps used, the beauty of the stamps, the histories they invoke, or as in the present case, to the envelope being autographed by the authors of the quite attractive stamp that graces it ... nothing short of a treasure thus, Thank you so much Eric, for a very kind, appreciated and generous surprise.

There is probably no object that I can relate more to baroque musical soirées at le chateau de Monsieur le Comte than the hand fan which well powdered ladies in their corsets and round dresses would agitate frenetically  to ward off the annoyance of heat, inquiring or indiscreet gazes, the inconveniences of menopause,.. etc, etc

Gone are the days of hand fan communication between aspiring or secret lovers but the little portable "air conditioning" device has long since been an ever common and useful  companion in lots of places where the agglomeration of people coupled with the high ambient temperatures that are so frequent nowadays dictates the convenience of a wisp of air to freshen up. I know it because many were the times I begged my wife to lend me hers, at concerts, the theatre, etc.

Checking wikipedia for a bit of fan history I discovered that, as it often is the case, there is a Portuguese connection somewhere down the line. This time it is the fact that the Portuguese  were  responsible for the introduction in Europe, in the mid 16th, of the foldable fan,  originated in  Japan....

Anyway, hand fans were and are  a great tradition that has traveled from the land of the rising sun to southern Europe and then irradiated north and across the Atlantic to the new world and beyond, thus going full circle.

There are places where the manufacture of hand fans is elevated to an art status, with intricate woodwork, carving. marqueterie, exquisite paintings on the fan, precious materials and so on and so forth. Spain is one such case, and France another and in this latter country some specialist artisans responsible for the creation of  what are sometimes true masterpieces of utilitarian art are eligible to run for the title of Maitres d'Art,  a distinction bestowed on them by the state, provided they are well known in their trade and are willing to pass on their knowledge to an apprentice, since the application is submitted by a pair artisan/apprentice.

In 2016, La Poste inaugurated a series dedicated to les Métiers d'Art with two stamps, one dedicated to the stone sculptors and another to the jewellers. On 10FEB2023 the 13th stamp of the series was issued, this being the  1,80€ stamp dedicated to the artisans manufacturing hand fans - the Éventaillistes - that Eric used on my cover, cancelled with a first day of circulation postmark.

 As I said in the beginning, the cover is autographed by Fréderick Gay, the Eventailliste whose work is featured on the stamp, designed and engraved by the same hand that also autographed my cover: Sophie Beaujard.