Art Funded by you

Elizabethan Folding Fan

Unknown artist, 1590-1600

The earliest fans to arrive from trading destinations such as Venice and Portugal took the form of rigid screens fixed to jewel-encrusted handles. But folding models from the East had become fashionable by 1588, when repairs to fans ‘with branches of Iverye’ are recorded in the inventories of Elizabeth I. The condition of this fan is exceptional, with the polychrome embroidery on the leaves still clearly showing a decoration of vines, flowers, fruits and a snail. More than 400 years old, it now represents a unique record of fan-making in Britain before the trade began to flourish with the arrival of the French Huguenots in the late 17th century.

More information

Title of artwork, date

Elizabethan Folding Fan, 1590-1600

Date supported

2015

Medium and material

Ivory, silk and embroidery

Dimensions

19 × 29cm

Grant

12500

Total cost

45000

Content note: This object record is part of our archive and has not been updated since it was first published. It may contain inaccurate information or outdated language. Please get in touch if you think this record should be amended.

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