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Pleated Fan, late 18th–early 19th century (CH 18391065)
Summary
Pleated fan. Gilded parchment leaf painted with gouache. Obverse: classical scene illustrating the sacrifice of Iphigenia showing a sorrowing warrior at left; at center, a sacrificial altar to which the aged priest Colchas leads the weeping Iphigenia, while above in the clouds are Artemis with a deer; at right, a warrior and two female figures, watching the heavenly apparition. Narrow, gilded borders of abstract design interrupted by colored jewel motifs, with additional leaf motifs at ends. Reverse: two figures in a landscape with ruins. Ivory sticks carved à jour with self-contained designs of arrows or tracery combined with a fern motif. Reverse: not carved. Carved arrow-shaped guards, gorge pierced with tiny vine motif and backed with ivory. Reverse of right guard, carved and overlaid with gold foil. Guard proper, edge serrated, decorated with tapering panel of delicate tracery backed by gold foil. Ivory button at rivet.
A handheld fan, or simply a hand fan, is any broad, flat surface that is waved back and forth to create an airflow. Generally, purpose-made handheld fans are folding fans, which are shaped like a sector of a circle and made of a thin material (such as paper or feathers) mounted on slats that revolve around a pivot so that it can be closed when not in use. Hand fans were used before mechanical fans were invented. Handheld fans have been used for thousands of years, with the earliest known examples dating back to ancient Egypt and China. These early fans were made from a variety of materials, including feathers, parchment, and palm leaves, and were used for both practical and ceremonial purposes. In ancient Rome, fans were also used for both cooling and as a decorative accessories. The first handheld fans as we know them today, made from paper or other lightweight materials and mounted on sticks, were probably invented in Japan or China during the 9th or 10th century. These fans gradually spread to other parts of the world and became popular in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries.
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