Fan

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

On early 18th-century fan leaves, the design often covered the complete leaf, as shown here. The painting on both the front and back is finely executed, and, unlike many examples, where the back is minimally decorated, the front and the back are equally covered with finely detailed scenes. In early fans the lacquered sticks were Chinese imports but around the end of the first quarter of the 18th century, the Europeans began created lacquered sticks to imitate the Chinese examples. These are probably Chinese imports.

The Costume Institute

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Costume Institute's collection of more than thirty-three thousand objects represents seven centuries of fashionable dress and accessories for men, women, and children, from the fifteenth century to the present.

Metropolitan Museum of Art