Aurora and the Hours with the Chariot of the Sun
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
ca. 1780
This folding fan features a goat vellum leaf painted in watercolour, mounted on carved and pierced ivory sticks and guards. An inset of tortoiseshell or horn is placed around the rivet. The leaf depicts the mythological scene "Aurora and the Hours with the Chariot of the Sun," based on a 1614 fresco by Guido Reni from the Casino Rospigliosi in Rome. The composition includes Baroque-inspired figures rendered in exaggerated movement and gesture, executed on the vellum using a pointillist technique of fine dots of colour.
The fan measures 11.5 inches in length and 19 inches in width. The leaf was created in Italy around 1780 by an unknown maker, while the carved ivory sticks date to circa 1740 and may have been made in either Italy or England.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
Upon its acquisition in 1870 from Mr J H Hughes of London, the fan was said to have been presented by Pope Clement XIV (who reigned from 1769 until his death in 1774) to Sir Robert Hughes.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Watercolour on vellum, with carved ivory sticks and guards
- Dimensions
- Length: 11.5 in; Width: 19 in
Technical characteristics
- Maker recorded
- Unknown
- Place recorded
- Italy, Italy, England
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- Aurora and the Hours with the Chariot of the Sun
- Museum object number
- 65-1870
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.