The Merchant

Brisé fan with pierced and painted ivory sticks.

A central vignette depicts a European (possibly Dutch) merchant on horseback, attended by a servant. Below are two circular vignettes painted with cranes and a lobster, along with a narrow band of flowers and butterflies.

Early Chinese export brisé fans are painted with colourful designs which bear striking similarities to export ceramics of the same period – in particular ‘Chinese Imari’ and Famille Rose porcelain. The fans are sometimes decorated with curious depictions of European merchants, their families and/or attendants. As contact with Westerners was strictly controlled, Chinese fan painters copied designs and took inspiration from printed books and engravings brought to China by the European merchants.