Painted fan with a design of feathers and three medallions

This large hand-painted fan was made by the British artist Charles Edward Conder. He began making fans relatively late in his career in the 1890s, a period which marked the transition from historicism to Art Nouveau in the arts. This fan exemplifies this transition in the combination of historical Rococo motifs and Art Nouveau elements.The design consists of three medallions, which are placed against a background of feathers and other ornaments. The three oval medallions or compartments are filled with depictions of women. The central horizontal oval appears to show a veiled woman in a black dress, while the outer two vertical ovals respectively show a woman out in nature, and a nude female figure. The medallions are surrounded by pink floral edge, which stands out from the background decorations in green, grey and blue. Various outlines are highlighted by a dotted pattern, which might have been meant to be finished in gold and/or silver. The dominance of ornament over figures in this design is unusual for Conder, of whom another fan, known as "The Spanish Piazza" is kept in the museum's collection (accession number 12.10).