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Notes

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The sticks are enlivened with floral motifs in a style that loosely imitates Chinese painting. The leaf is decorated on the recto with a series of amusing vignettes (one shows a shopkeeper selling mask fans) and a central mask-like face, the eyes cut away and forming peepholes.

Due to their ephemeral nature, very few examples of 18th-century mask fans survive. Although their exact function remains unclear, it is presumed they were carried at Masquerades. Although manufactured in England, the fan was aimed at the Spanish market, hence the poorly translated inscriptions incorporated throughout the design.

The Fan Museum

London

Title

Mask Fan

Date

c.1740

Medium

bone with etching & watercolour on paper

Measurements

H 27 x W (?) cm

Accession number

HA151

Acquisition method

purchased privately by the owner, Mrs H. E. Alexander

Work type

Print

The Fan Museum

12 Crooms Hill, London, Greater London SE10 8ER England

This venue is open to the public. Not all artworks are on display. If you want to see a particular artwork, please contact the venue.

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Artist or maker

unknown artist

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