Folding fan: M.18-1985

Maker(s)

Maker: Unknown

Entities

• Folding fan
• Grand Tour fan

Categories

• Fans

Description

Folding fan, double leaf chickenskin, painted in bodycolour. Sticks, Ivory, fretted, silvered, gilt and inlaid with steel sequins. Ivory guards, silvered, gilt, set with steel sequins, cut steels, Essex crystal glass and red gold plaques. (14+2) Rivet set with clear pastes. Front: a central oval frame containing a view of the Coliseum in Rome, flanked by smaller views of the Arch of Trajan and a Temple from the Forum Romanum in circular frames, reserved in a white ground decorated with grotesques and having borders of red foliate motifs above and below. The upper edge has a pale green border decorated with a scarlet line entwined with slender green ribbon. Sticks: of two designs, fretted and pierced, the latter set with steel sequins. Guards: below the shoulder, inlaid with steel sequins and silver and gold trophies; above the shoulder, set with steel sequins and cut steels and inset with a carved ivory scene with a blue background under Essex crystal/glass within a red gold/copper frame. Below the scene the left guard has a pointed red gold plaque engraved with a tulip and above, an oval plaque engraved with a flower, a treble clef and the words 'Vous/Sa/vez'.

Notes

History note: Colonel Leonard C. Messel (1872-1953); his daughter Anne, Countess of Rosse (1902-1992)

Legal notes

Purchased with a grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and a gift from the Friends of the Fitzwilliam

Place(s) associated

• Rome ⪼ Italy

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bought (1985-01-28) by Countess of Rosse, Anne

Dating

18th Century, Late#
Production date: circa AD 1780