Folding Fan with Representation of the Gardens at Chiswick

Unknown

1757 · Painted kid; pierced, carved, painted, and gilded ivory; metal, glass · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

In glorious condition, this fan is a vivid reminder of the expertise reached by British fan-makers only forty-eight years after Queen Anne had awarded her royal charter to incorporate London's Worshipful Company of Fan Makers. The finely carved sticks and guards of ivory are embellished with mica, gilding and paint, but it is the kidskin fan leaf which demands our attention. Figures in contemporary dress explore the gardens of Chiswick House, the highly-fashionable Roman style Palladian villa, completed in 1739, to the designs of Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, with William Kent. In an unusual touch, the fan-painter has included their initials, S.A., as well as the date, 1757, within the painted scene.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1757

Medium

Painted kid; pierced, carved, painted, and gilded ivory; metal, glass

Culture

British

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

The Moses Lazarus Collection, Gift of Josephine and Sarah Lazarus, in memory of their father, 1888-95