Folding Fan with Representation of the Gardens at Chiswick

British

Not on view

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.

Folding Fan with Representation of the Gardens at Chiswick, Painted kid; pierced, carved, painted, and gilded ivory; metal, glass, British

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Folding Fan with Representation of the Gardens at Chiswick, Painted kid; pierced, carved, painted, and gilded ivory; metal, glass, British
Folding Fan with Representation of the Gardens at Chiswick, Painted kid; pierced, carved, painted, and gilded ivory; metal, glass, British

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