Silk fan and box
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1850-1860
This folding fan and matching fitted box date to 1850–1860 and were produced in Guangzhou (Canton), China, during the Qing Dynasty. The fan features gold-painted lacquer sticks and guards, a leaf constructed of paper and silk, and attached silk tassels. The accompanying shaped wooden box is also decorated in painted lacquer.
The fan displays different painted decoration on each side: one side illustrates flowers and birds, while the other features a fantasy Chinese garden scene with figures set among pavilions. The figures are embellished with applied miniature faces carved from ivory and applied silk clothing. When opened, the fan measures 30 cm in height, 44.4 cm in width, and 3.2 cm in depth, with tassels measuring 28 cm in length. The matching lacquer box lid also features painted figurative garden scenes.
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
Made in the Chinese export style, items of this type were manufactured in southern Chinese workshops in large quantities for foreign markets. Export fans reached Europe and other regions via maritime trade routes. This example was originally purchased in India, where Chinese merchant ships regularly called and where a market existed among British residents. While both men and women traditionally used fans in China, in Europe and America they were predominantly owned by women.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Gold-painted lacquer sticks, with a painted silk and paper leaf and silk tassels; painted lacquer box
- Dimensions
- Height (open): 30 cm; Width (open): 44.4 cm; Depth (open): 3.2 cm; Length (tassels): 28 cm
Technical characteristics
- Maker recorded
- Unknown
- Place recorded
- Guangzhou
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
- Silk fan& box
- Museum object number
- T.674&A-1919
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.