Folding fan, the sticks richly carved, gilt and backed with Burgau (a fine and especially lustrous type of mother of pearl). The leaf is painted on the recto with finely dressed figures touring a construction site and conversing with an architect. The principal part of the composition is derived from an engraving by English printmaker, Carington Bowles (1724–1793) titled ‘Architecture’. To this, the fan painter has incorporated elements of two further prints: a goat, gourd and child figure copied from an early-seventeenth century print after the Flemish artist, Abraham Bloemaert (1564–1651) and, on the far right, two figures lifted from a print titled ‘Astronomy’ published by Henry Overton. The interplay of different elements taken from multiple prints demonstrates the painter’s ability to reconfigure rectangular prints to better suit the arc-shaped format.