Hand fan - Paper - Hand-painted fan

Nineteenth Century
Fan
Painted paper, cm 33 x 58

The fan represented a highly fashionable instrument of its time, precisely for its portability and ease of handling, as well as being a true collectible object. It consists of two main parts: the pavese, made up of the fabric (painted, printed or not), which may also feature embroidery, lace (especially in European models), or simply a sheet of printed paper, and the rigid, folding base.

The folding fan was invented by the Japanese between the 7th and 9th centuries, perhaps inspired by the mechanism of a bat’s wing. In Europe it became known from the late 15th century after its import from China, brought by the Portuguese who had opened trade routes all the way to the Far East.

Introduced in France by Catherine de’ Medici, it became the favorite object of Elizabeth I of England, soon turning into an aristocratic object, as well as an artistic one (landscape painting and domestic and social scenes are a common subject in page drawings).

Subsequently its use extended to all social strata, becoming, on the one hand, increasingly elaborate, destined to be displayed at grand celebrations or hung on walls as a decorative object, and on the other hand more standardized, light, and durable for everyday summer use.

It also represented an extraordinary form of communication: during the 18th century noble girls were taught to handle their fans in their bearing lessons conducted by their dance masters. In the 19th century, Duvelleroy, the most important fan factory, published a kind of vocabulary of gestures and manners used in the language of the fan. Since 1991 the Fan Museum (The Fan Museum) in Greenwich has been open to the public, which also organized thematic exhibitions in different venues, such as Fabulous Fan at the Victoria and Albert Museum in the spring of 1995.

The fan in question appears to bear Caserta’s Royal Palace, suggesting a provenance from the Campania region.

For works purchased abroad: after payment, the procedure to obtain an export license (ALC) will be started. All antique pieces sent abroad from Italy require this document, issued by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage. The procedure may take from 3 to 5 weeks from the request; therefore, as soon as we have the document, the work will be shipped.