Current Location: In storage
Titles
Venus and Mars
Maker(s)
Maker:
Unknown
Entities
Categories
Description
Folding fan. Depicting Mars, resplendent in armour, walking towards a reclining Venus.
Hand painted, on ivory sticks with applied mother of pearl.
Notes
History note: Lennox Boyd Estate. Christie's no. 5036
Legal notes
Accepted by H. M. Government in lieu of inheritance tax from the Lennox Boyd Estate
Acquisition and important dates
Method of acquisition: Allocated
(2015-04-27)
by
H.M. Government
Dating
17th Century-18th Century#
Production date:
circa
AD 1700
Note
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 objects 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.
This is the oldest fan in the Lennox-Boyd collection. It shows Venus, the Roman goddess of love, being approached by her lover, Mars, the Roman god of war. This delicately hand-painted fan was made for a wealthy and discerning patron: its sticks are carved from expensive imported ivory and then embellished with exotic mother-of pearl. The guards may have been added later. Extensive tears have been crudely repaired at some point in its history.
Components of the work
Sticks
composed of
mother-of-pearl
ivory
Leaf
Related exhibitions
Identification numbers
Accession number: M.475-2015
Primary reference Number: 205054
Sale number: 5036
Stable URI
Audit data
Created: Wednesday 5 August 2015
Updated: Wednesday 4 October 2023
Last processed: Wednesday 13 December 2023
Associated departments & institutions
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Applied Arts
