brisé fan

brisé fan , mid 1800s

Where object was made: Spain or France

Material/technique: metal; lithograph; mother of pearl; gouache; gilding

Dimensions:
Object Height/Width (Height x Width): 19 x 30 cm open
Object Height/Width (Height x Width): 7 1/2 x 11 13/16 in

Credit line: William Bridges Thayer Memorial

Accession number: 1928.0641

Not on display

Add to portfolio

If you wish to reproduce this image, please submit an image request

Images

Label texts

Collection Cards: Collect

Folding fans were essential fashion accessories for European women in the 18th and 19th centuries. Women used these handheld objects to cool themselves, and to communicate non-verbal messages in social settings. This fan combines the durability of hard mother-of-pearl with the delicacy of lace-like filigree designs to produce a dazzling effect. Gold ornament, inlaid on pierced mother-of-pearl sticks, creates the illusion that the fan is made of lace rather than shell. At its center is a pleated paper leaf with a brightly colored forest scene. Sallie Casey Thayer collected folding fans made in Western Europe, the United States, China, and Japan.

Civic Leader and Art Collector: Sallie Casey Thayer and an Art Museum for KU

Considered to be essential fashion accessories, European women often carried folding fans in the 18th and 19th centuries. Women used these handheld objects to cool themselves and to communicate non-verbal messages in social settings. This fan combines the durability of hard mother-of-pearl with the delicacy of lace-like designs to produce a dazzling effect. Gold ornament, inlaid on pierced mother-of-pearl sticks, creates the illusion that the fan is made of lace rather than shell. At its center is a pleated paper leaf with a brightly colored picture of a forest scene.