fan

A late 18th-century fan, possibly of Dutch origin, in Chinoiserie style. This style was at the height of its popularity at the time. The scene is painted in watercolour on paper, and the fan has an ivory handle.

Fashion accessory, opening from the folded state into a semicircular shape which is held in the hand and gently moved backwards and forwards to create a circulation of air, cooling the holder of the fan.

The folding fan was invented in Japan; the round, flat fan originated in China. Fans were introduced into Europe through trade routes from the East in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Made of materials such as sandalwood, ivory, mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell, feathers, silk, paper, and lace, and sometimes decorated with hand-painted designs, fans reached the height of popularity in the 18th century.

The oldest preserved fan is Japanese, dating from 877.