portrait of Felix Tal

Felix Tal (1893-?) Was an Amsterdam broker. Tal collected fans. This fan collection was housed in the Waaierkabinet in Amsterdam on the Prinsengracht. There were 145 beautifully decorated fans, dating from the 17th to the 19th centuries

After the cabinet was closed, the most important fans were loaned to the Beeckestijn museum in Velsen. That has now also been closed; the collection was transferred from the municipality of Velsen to the Royal Archaeological Society.

In the 1950 magazine Oud Nederland, Mr. Tal himself about his collection;

“Why do I collect fans? This is just a coincidence. In addition to their daily work, everyone needs to indulge in other activities. We are like a locomotive, we always want to move forward and we try to react our surplus energy to something that can keep us busy. Just as a locomotive has to blow out too much steam from time to time through the steam whistle.

Everyday life, especially in these turbulent times, offers many disappointments and it is therefore good that a person has a hobby. The collector is actually the link between the artistic people of the past and those in the present. ‘

and;

“I can imagine that many say; I don’t care about fans; they are good for elderly ladies. But what might interest you is that these works of art were mostly made by Tal men. Who was already involved? First of all painters and watercolors, then ivory workers, turtle and bone carvers, sculptors, decorators, metal and gem workers.”

source; Centraalmuseum.nl / Oud Nederland magazine, April 4, 1950 / geheugenvannederland.nl