Fan
1780-1790 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This fan has a silk leaf embroidered with spangles [sequins] and highly decorated sticks. These are typical features of fans of the 1780s. A prim young girl is seated with a large, rather untidy woman beside her, while two gentlemen shake hands. It represents a marriage scene, possibly of a bride and groom of different social backgrounds. In England, this was a very popular subject in 18th-century literature. It was the theme of Samuel Richardon’s novel Pamela, published in 1740, and plays such as David Garrick’s The Clandestine Marriage (1766).
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Horn, silk, silver, gold; hand-carved, painted, embroidered |
| Brief description | 1780s, French; Painted silk gauze, horn sticks and guards with piqué and silver-gilt foil, marriage contract scene |
| Physical description | Fan, in green shagreen case, with sticks and guards of horn-piqué with gold stars and inlaid with silver-gilt foil. The silk gauze leaf is painted with watercolours and embroidered with silver-gilt spangles in a scene showing the signing of a marriage contract. |
| Object history | Purchased from Don Jose Calcenada, Madrid on 22nd December 1863, for £7.7.9 |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This fan has a silk leaf embroidered with spangles [sequins] and highly decorated sticks. These are typical features of fans of the 1780s. A prim young girl is seated with a large, rather untidy woman beside her, while two gentlemen shake hands. It represents a marriage scene, possibly of a bride and groom of different social backgrounds. In England, this was a very popular subject in 18th-century literature. It was the theme of Samuel Richardon’s novel Pamela, published in 1740, and plays such as David Garrick’s The Clandestine Marriage (1766). |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 97-1864 |
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| Record created | December 12, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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