Folding fan: M.324-1985

Current Location: Gallery 34 (Fan Gallery)

Maker(s)

Entities

Folding fan

Description

Folding fan, double white silk leaf painted in bodycolour with applied painted paper and decorated with 'gold' and 'silver' sequins, stamped gold foil steel spangles and fabric. Sticks of fretted and pierced bone decorated with gold foil and steel sequins; guards of fretted and pierced bone decorated with gold foil and steel sequins (16+2). Brass rivet and mother-of-pearl washer. Front: in the centre, a young woman is dancing with a garland of flowers in her hands; her upper body is of applied steel sequins and she is in a green garden with trees and bushes. Behind the girl is a spray of stamped gold leaves. The scene is flanked by palm trees made of sequins, stamped leaves and steel stars. The top border is of a row of striped gold flowers between two rows of golden sequins; above the girl five bells are hanging between two sequin pyramids hanging from the border. Further left two hanging rows of gold sequins with steel stars; only one on the right hand side. There are sequins on the left and lower border; the top edging is of a gold foil. Back: undecorated. Sticks: fretted row of s-shaped and twigs under a row of swags bordering pierced holes and a row with applied sequins on top. Guards: both guards are decorated in the same way with pierced hole patterns and fretted twigs bordered by foil lines.

Notes

History note: Colonel Leonard C. Messel (1872-1953); his daughter Anne, Countess of Rosse (1902-1992)

Legal notes

Purchased with a grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and a gift from The Friends of the Fitzwilliam Museum

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bought (1985-01-28) by Countess of Rosse, Anne

Dating

19th Century, Early#
Circa 1805 CE - Circa 1810 CE

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Leaf composed of sequins ( 'gold' and 'silver') silk ( white) bodycolour
Sticks+guards composed of foil ( gold) sequins ( steel) bone
Washer composed of mother-of-pearl
Rivet composed of brass (alloy)
Guards Length 20.0 cm