Fan
1780s (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The printing technique used in the production of this fan indicates that it may have been produced in some numbers. The fan is decorated with romantic imagery. It is possible that a fan such as this would have been given to a lady by an admirer. Fans were popular tokens of admiration often given as betrothal or wedding gifts. Although its original function was to cool the face, the fan soon became an important tool in non-verbal communication. The manner in which a lady held and moved her fan conveyed her feelings toward those around her, and was a useful tool in courtship rituals. The scene depicted on the leaf of this fan is reminiscent of the pastoral scenes beloved of Marie-Antoinette and her model village at the Petite Trianon in the grounds of the palace at Versailles. Such an idealised vision of rural life would have appealed to most fashionable French women in the 1780’s and 1790’s.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Printed paper on wooden sticks, print painted in colours |
| Brief description | 1780s, printed paper leaf with hand-colouring, courting couple. |
| Physical description | Printed paper fan leaf mounted on 16 wooden sticks. Design painted in colours, depicting couple surrounded by delicate rococo scrolls and motifs. The man and woman are shown in the fashionable clothes of the 1780's. A winged cupid nestles on the knees of the woman who holds him facing her. The scene is framed by a swathe of hearts, flowers, quivers of cupid's arrows and burning torches, upheld by two mermaids. A winged and blindfolded cupid is shown above, aiming his arrow at the woman beneath. In the background can be seen an ivy covered grotto and waterfall. The reverse is decorated with three floral sprays. |
| Credit line | Given by Sir Matthew Digby Wyatt and Lady Wyatt |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The printing technique used in the production of this fan indicates that it may have been produced in some numbers. The fan is decorated with romantic imagery. It is possible that a fan such as this would have been given to a lady by an admirer. Fans were popular tokens of admiration often given as betrothal or wedding gifts. Although its original function was to cool the face, the fan soon became an important tool in non-verbal communication. The manner in which a lady held and moved her fan conveyed her feelings toward those around her, and was a useful tool in courtship rituals. The scene depicted on the leaf of this fan is reminiscent of the pastoral scenes beloved of Marie-Antoinette and her model village at the Petite Trianon in the grounds of the palace at Versailles. Such an idealised vision of rural life would have appealed to most fashionable French women in the 1780’s and 1790’s. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 2191-1876 |
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| Record created | October 2, 2007 |
| Record URL |
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