These images are provided for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons License (BY-NC-ND). To license a high resolution version, please contact our image library who will discuss fees, terms and waivers.
Download this imageCreative commons explained - what it means, how you can use our's and other people's content.
Venus and Adonis
Maker: Unknown
Folding fan, depicting Venus and Adonis.
Paper leaf, hand-coloured etching sprinkled with gold and mother-of-pearl dust, on pierced and fretted ivory sticks
History note: Lennox Boyd Estate. Christie's no. 258
Accepted by H. M. Government in lieu of inheritance tax from the Lennox Boyd Estate
Method of acquisition: Allocated (2015-04-27) by H.M. Government
18th Century
Production date:
circa
AD 1750
The mythological Roman lovers, Venus and Adonis, are frequently depicted on fan leaves, echoing art from this time. This fan is an example of how appearances can be deceptive. Although the sky is now red, it was originally white. The radical change in colour is due to corrosion of the lead component in the white paint.
This fan forms part of the collection of the Hon. Christopher Lennox Boyd, allocated to the Museum by H.M. Government in lieu of inheritance tax in 2015. The collection of over 600 fans ranges in date from the 18th to the 20th centuries and in type from bejewelled and hand-painted court and wedding fans, to printed mass-produced advertising fans, aide-memoire fans, mourning fans and children’s fans.
Leaf
composed of
paper
Sticks, Guards
composed of
ivory
Sticks
Accession number: M.127-2015
Primary reference Number: 204691
Sale number: 258
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Applied Arts
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
Mirador deep zoom
IIIF Manifest
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Venus and Adonis" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/204691 Accessed: 2024-04-26 17:39:04
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/204691
|title=Venus and Adonis
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-04-26 17:39:04|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:
https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-204691
To use this as a simple code embed, copy this string:
<div class="text-center">
<figure class="figure">
<img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/portfolio/F25982D9_7CB9_CFFF_028E_8BBFC531887C/655/479/large_M_127_2015_1_201911_mfj22_dc1.jpg"
alt="Venus and Adonis"
class="img-fluid" />
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Venus and Adonis</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
Accession Number: 22.I.9-33
Accession Number: P.413-1985
Accession Number: 2859
Accession Number: P.42-1948
Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...
