EVOLUTION OF THE FAN
FOLDING fans as we know them first appeared in the 1580s. They comprised mounts cut and edged in silver or gold lace. Sticks to hold the mount were at first carved from ivory and, later, tortoiseshell, trimmed with gold or precious stones.
Several factors can be used to date a fan, one of the most accurate being its size when closed. Seventeenth century examples were modest, doubling to a foot or more during Queen Anne’s reign.
Much of the 1700s saw fans of about nine inches in length, apart from about 1740 when, following the fashion of the day, they became a massive two feet or more. From about 1815, about 11 inches was standard.
Spread of the fan is another clue to its date. In 1650, it was about 160 degrees and the full 180 degrees in 1660. From about 1720-1760, the spread reverted to 160 degrees and after that, they increased to greater than the semi-circle.
A wide variety of materials were used for the blades of the fan, including mother of pearl, followed in the 1700s by horn, bone, ebony, sandalwood, and laburnum wood.
Decoration included painting, carving, gilding and piercing, with the very costly examples being studded with diamonds and gold.
Mounts were usually in good quality paper or silk, but better examples were made from fine vellum because it was exceptionally thin, strong and supple.
London, France, Italy and, to a lesser extent, Holland, became renowned centres for fan painting, with artists proud enough of their work to sign them as they would a fine oil painting.
Generally, bright colours were used in the 1660s, turning to a more sombre but rich, dark Baroque in the early 1700s.
From 1730-1750, however, the gay frivolity of the Rococo period saw lighter colours, with scrolls, flowers, waterfalls and woodland glades being depicted in miniature.
In turn, this gave way to the mellow neoclassical 1770s and 1780s before the advent of cheaper mass production, with lithography taking over from hand-painting from about 1805. Demand for low-priced fans during this period is probably good news for modern day collectors of more modest means.