Fan

The central vignette of this fan represents a fashionable English garden of the mid 18th century. A stone bench, a ruined classical colonnade and a curious pyramid-like structure (possibly an icehouse) crowd the composition. The design of the fan is slightly unusual. It has giant still-life grapes, peacock and spaniel placed alongside the much smaller central figures.

The vast range of embellishment seen on fans made a large assembly a very decorative affair. The Spectator commented in 1711 on the ‘infinite number of Cupids, Altars, Birds, Beasts, Rainbows and the like agreeable Figures’ that appeared when ladies unfurled their fans.