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The 'Braganza' fan

Image attached to M.370-1985

An image of Folding fan. The 'Braganza' fan. Unknown maker, China, leaf in Macao. Front: A Brasilian native offers a dish of gold nuggets and diamonds to the child of a princess of the house of Braganza, who is seated in the centre under an awning hanging from a tree, accompanied by three female nudes (perhaps the Graces). On the right, the three Fates, one holding a pair of scissors, one, a distaff and the third the spun wool with a cross-shaped spindle whorl below. On the far left a woman reading a book, stands beside a desk-cum-bookcase and two more are writing on a screen from which is suspended the arms of Portugal. The inscription reads: Gracas que adornao tua Regia Fronte/Virtudes qu tea Peito hao sublimado/A Poesea, a Pintura e mais a historia/Celebrao respectando as leis do Fedo/ [...]Princesa Carolina Augusta/Tu que cimaltaj o Throno Brigancino/O T acceta que te offerta/[...]do Brazil atto de [...]. Above and below, blue borders decorated with gold and silver leaves and flowers. Reverse: On a gold ground, the arms of Portugal superimposed on a globe, resting on the back of a white dove, flanked by hydrangea flowers and roses. Red borders above and below, decorated with gold foliate scrolls and flowers. Sticks and guards: Single blue and green flower heads and stylized leaf and flower sprays. Double paper leaf painted in water-colours, bodycolour, gold and silver. Gold paper binding on upper edge. Sticks and guards of silver-gilt ? filigree with enamelled decoration (12+2). Rivet of brass ? with twined wire loop. Length, guards, 32.1 cm, circa 1808- circa 1816. The sticks of the fan are probably later than the leaf (C. 1840), which appears to have been cut down at the sides to fit them. Messel-Rosse Collection. Production Note: Chinese for the Portuguese or Brazilian market. The house of Braganza was the ruling dynasty of Portugal from 1640 to 1910, and of the empire of Brazil from 1822 to 1889. On England's advice, the royal family left Lisbon for Brazil in 1807, just

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Folding fan. The 'Braganza' fan. Unknown maker, China, leaf in Macao. Front: A Brasilian native offers a dish of gold nuggets and diamonds to the child of a princess of the house of Braganza, who is seated in the centre under an awning hanging from a tree, accompanied by three female nudes (perhaps the Graces). On the right, the three Fates, one holding a pair of scissors, one, a distaff and the third the spun wool with a cross-shaped spindle whorl below. On the far left a woman reading a book, stands beside a desk-cum-bookcase and two more are writing on a screen from which is suspended the arms of Portugal. The inscription reads: Gracas que adornao tua Regia Fronte/Virtudes qu tea Peito hao sublimado/A Poesea, a Pintura e mais a historia/Celebrao respectando as leis do Fedo/ [...]Princesa Carolina Augusta/Tu que cimaltaj o Throno Brigancino/O T acceta que te offerta/[...]do Brazil atto de [...]. Above and below, blue borders decorated with gold and silver leaves and flowers. Reverse: On a gold ground, the arms of Portugal superimposed on a globe, resting on the back of a white dove, flanked by hydrangea flowers and roses. Red borders above and below, decorated with gold foliate scrolls and flowers. Sticks and guards: Single blue and green flower heads and stylized leaf and flower sprays. Double paper leaf painted in water-colours, bodycolour, gold and silver. Gold paper binding on upper edge. Sticks and guards of silver-gilt ? filigree with enamelled decoration (12+2). Rivet of brass ? with twined wire loop. Length, guards, 32.1 cm, circa 1808- circa 1816. The sticks of the fan are probably later than the leaf (C. 1840), which appears to have been cut down at the sides to fit them. Messel-Rosse Collection. Production Note: Chinese for the Portuguese or Brazilian market. The house of Braganza was the ruling dynasty of Portugal from 1640 to 1910, and of the empire of Brazil from 1822 to 1889. On England's advice, the royal family left Lisbon for Brazil in 1807, just

Image data

  • Accession Number: M.370-1985
  • Photograph copyright © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
  • Photographer name: Image Library; Fitzwilliam Museum
  • Image height: 712 pixels
  • Image width: 1023 pixels
  • Processed with: Adobe Photoshop CS Windows
  • Filesize: 161.15kB

Key words

19th Century _WF_AdOK _WF_OPAC awning Braganza Brasilian Brazilian Chinese distaff fan fans Fates female female nude filigree Fitz_AA folding fan House of Braganza nude paper Portuguese princess royal royalty silver silver-gilt spinning woman women

Colours in this image

rgb(163,164,161), rgb(56,94,123), rgb(129,110,62), rgb(226,216,184), rgb(118,68,45), rgb(159,150,101), rgb(100,121,134), rgb(195,188,153), rgb(198,214,174), rgb(142,109,95), rgb(140,181,220)

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