Fan, folding, China, 1770s

Folding fan, painted in watercolours on lustred paper with additional decoration of mother of pearl and silk appliqué and mica and net insertion. The obverse shows a scene of a grass covered terrace beside a house, arranged with various items of Chinese furniture and ceramics.

There are several people dressed in Chinese dress, two of whom are musicians, seated on a bench with a child standing nearby, another figure holding a fan stands further away. The fan and all the windows have been cut out and mica or net inserted. The clothing are silk appliqué, two of which have matching patterns with either a pink or blue ground. Minute fragments of mother of pearl have been used to highlight the costumes, furniture and plants. The entire scene is within a representation of a fan-shaped wooden frame consisting of stylised winged insects and plants. The remaining spaces outside the frame are filled with the same plants and sprigs of plants.

The reverse is very similar to the obverse, as it shows a grass terrace with furnishings and a group of figures in Chinese dress. In the centre, a child is lying on a bench or table, teasing an old man with a twig. The other figures stand nearby. The windows of mica and net insertions correspond to those on the obverse side. Minute fragments of mother of pearl have been used to highlight the furniture and plants. The costumes are painted to resemble damasks. The scene is painted without a border and fills the entire leaf. The guards are of carved and painted ivory with figures and a dragon. They are inset with carved mother of pearl. The sticks are red lacquer decorated with gold and mother of pearl appliqué. On the obverse side is a dragon and on the reverse a variety of pots and other items including a fan.

The pin is brass and the washer mother of pearl.