The painted ivory brisé fans of the latter part of the eighteenth century are typically English, though derived from an Italian source. They are quite easy of identification, being invariably delicately pierced with a fretwork pattern, painted with medallions usually one superior and two inferior, and gilt, the gold being usually applied with the brush; the fan opening out to the third of a circle.
| Dutch Fan painted with subject of a botanist & lady, stick ivory, carved & painted. | Sir L. Alma-Tadema. O.M., R.A. |
An extremely interesting example is decorated with three medallions, the centre representing a sleeping nymph with Cupids. This formerly belonged to Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, and was presented to Queen Alexandra when Princess of Wales by the Duke of Sutherland in remembrance of his mother.
The marriage relations of the Prince of Wales (afterwards George IV.) with Mrs. Fitzherbert formed the subject of an ivory fan, exquisitely cut in fretwork, with three painted cartouches by Richard Cosway, the centre representing the Prince and lady with Religion descending in a chariot pointing with pleading looks to a figure of Hymen, who hovers above; in the two other cartouches the pair are figured in the characters of Fidelity and Constancy. This fan was exhibited at South Kensington in 1870; it appeared at the Walker sale in 1882, when it was sold for eighteen guineas. In 1889 it was in the possession of Colonel de Lancey, and is now in the Hennin collection, Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris.
The fan in the Wyatt collection, elaborately pierced, painted, and gilt, has three medallions finely painted in the style of Cosway, with two small medallions of heads on the guards. The connecting ribbon is green, the general colour effect being extremely good. The fan opens out to a third of a circle, the length of the blades 10 inches. (Illustrated facing p. 182.)
The leaf-fan belonging to Mrs. Hungerford Pollen, of the taking of Malta, refers to the surrender of the island to the British by General Vaubois, the act being signed and concluded on the 5th September 1800. The subject is on a large cartouche, occupying three-fourths of the leaf, the background representing a streamer of lace.
During the period of the Napoleonic wars, a number of French prisoners were installed in England at Norman Cross near Peterborough, Porchester Castle, and Edinburgh Castle, and during their confinement introduced the process of straw marquetry, which had been practised on the Continent since the time of Henry III., and possibly earlier. Boxes, trays, decorative pictures, nick-nacks, and hand-screens were made. Towards the end of the eighteenth century straw plaiting became vastly fashionable, and straw was adopted for hats, ribbons, plumes, girdles, and tassels. The fan was not behindhand, but followed the prevailing taste.
Several of these objects appear in the Victoria and Albert Museum, amongst them being two hand-screens with plaited views.