Painted fans. European version. Folding fan "Moses Basket in the Reeds"

Total 63 photos

It may seem strange that a representative of the male part of the population writes about a fan as an art. It would probably be unusual if I considered the fan here simply as a women's accessory. However, no - the exhibition “Fan as Art” greatly interested me, since the fan itself is not only a “technical component” and part of a woman’s charm, but now, almost completely, it has become a great symbol of her charm, the depth of female beauty, the basis expressions of her feelings and passions that cannot be conveyed in ordinary human language. A woman who holds a fan in her hands or simply looks at it, smoothly in her sensations plunges into the depths of the collective unconscious of women's secrets, passions, temptations and tremulous desires. That is why it was extremely interesting for me to visit this exhibition and to catch this delicate aroma of the female soul that so excitingly pierces Time...

The exhibition took place in the palace pavilion of the Kolomenskoye Nature Reserve. This small, elegant building seems quite small, but once you enter inside, this feeling instantly disappears...
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The exhibition is designed as a place where lavish social receptions seem to be held and, despite all its intimacy, it evokes the feeling of a ballroom. The burgundy color dominates the interior and evokes trembling feelings of exciting temptation and burning secrets...
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Once upon a time, the fan was used simply as an object to “instill coolness,” but over time it acquired other symbolic functions - it was an attribute of power and a weapon in the East, in the West it was presented as an expensive diplomatic gift, as a bride’s dowry... The fan has always reflected style, fashion, way of life and philosophy of his time and became a real “mirror of history”.

In each country, the design of the fan carried and displayed national features. The fan always had its own name (name, plot) and occupied a special place as an attribute of truly secular life. It becomes an indispensable addition to the formal and ballroom ladies' toilet and has always been performed at a high artistic level using embossed carvings and enameling. The base of the fan is a machine, made of valuable materials - ivory, mother-of-pearl, metals and trimmed with valuable and ornamental stones. Fan screens were made of paper, silk, lace, gauze, satin and decorated with beads, sparkles and artistic paintings. The ostrich feathers used to make them gave the fans incredible chic.

Most of the fans on display from the period of the 18th-20th centuries. belong to two main types: fan-plie - a fan with a pleated screen and a rigid frame and fan-breeze - a folding fan consisting only of solid plates. We will also see rarer fans-cockades and fans-screens. The homeland of fans is France, England, Italy, Spain, Germany, Russia, China and most of them were made by famous craftsmen and artists of famous fan workshops.
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And, of course, one cannot help but mention the “fan language” - the secret code of gentlemen and ladies. It seems that he was born in Spain, where court etiquette was so strict that the caballero, except for rare moments, could not talk to his beloved about his feelings, except through gestures and secret signs. The fan was the perfect fit for this role - and this is how a whole world of sensual communication and exquisite flirtation, full of hints and secrets, began to take shape...

But you know, behind each such exhibit are the ghosts of women’s destinies, daring dreams, deep disappointments, charms, awe, exciting vibrations of love and burning temptation. The fan is essentially a powerful artifact that carries the feelings and sensations of its former owner. That's what got me interested in him. What will I feel and learn today, very curious!?... However, I will not dwell on each exhibit and try to tell you what I feel about it - it will be better if you relax easily, let your mind wander and just walk with me through this elegant and delightful chamber exhibition leading to the Dream...

Fan "Dancing couple". Russia or France, 1890s. Shank, silk fabric, lace; painting with watercolors and gouache. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Fan-breeze. Western Europe. First quarter of the 20th century. Celluloid; painting. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Paired fan-screens “Man in a Gothic Cathedral” and Woman in a Gothic Cathedral.” England. First half of the 19th century. Tree; painting, varnish, turning. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Fan cockade (fan cockade). Western Europe. Second half of the 19th century. Ivory, wood, fabric; polishing, carving, painting. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Fan-breeze “Two dachshunds and a cat.” Germany. Circa 1915. Celluloid; painting. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Fan screen. Italy. Last quarter of the 18th century. Ivory, cardboard, canvas, moire, cord made of metal threads; turning, relief carving, satin stitch embroidery, applique. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Fan-cockade “BONBONS”. France. Beginning of the 20th century. Cardboard, paper, chintz: embossing, painting. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.

Children's fan. France. 1920s. Celluloid, bird feathers; Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.

Fan "Pastoral Scene". France 1880s. Artist Pilon Delavolt. Mother of pearl, paper, chicken skin, rhinestones; carving, painting. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Fan "Lace flowers". Russia. 1900s. Mother of pearl, gauze, mechanical lace, sequins: polishing, gouache painting, sequin embroidery. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Fan-plie "Gallant Scene". Saint Petersburg. Early 1900s. Firm "Alexander". Mother of pearl, foil, metal, silk gauze, metal threads, sparkles; carving, engraving, gilding, tempera, embroidery. MGOMZ (Moscow State United Museum-Reserve Kolomenskoye).
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Fan pliant “White ostrich and marabou feathers” with mother-of-pearl frame. Western Europe. 1890s. Mother of pearl, metal, white ostrich and marabou feathers; polishing MGOMZ.
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Fan “Blossoming branches”. Russia. Late 1880s. Mother of pearl, satin, lining silk; painting. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Neo-empire fan with sparkles. France. 1900s. Unknown workshop. Horn, gas, sparkles, foil; carving, engraving, gilding, sequin embroidery. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Fan-plie "Girl with a jug". France 1890s. Fan master Geslin. Mother of pearl, bone, gauze, lace; carving, painting, silvering. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Plié fan with satin stitch embroidered screen. Austria. Late 1880s. Golden mother-of-pearl, satin, lining silk; satin stitch embroidery. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Fan "Family Scene". France. Late 1890s. Mother of pearl, lace, silk; carving, gilding, painting. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Fan with a screen made of “Russian” lace. Russia. The end of the 19th - the beginning of the 20th centuries. Turtle, lace; polishing, weaving. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Fan "White Rosehip". France. 1900s. Mother of pearl, bone, gauze, lace; painting, silvering. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Fan "Gallant Society in the Park". France. 1940s. Horn, paper; engraving, inlay, lithography, painting. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Fan with embossed paper screen. France. 1840-1850s. Horn, papers; carving, applique, lithography, painting. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Fan "Pastoral". France. 1840-1850s.
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Fan-breeze "Artaxerxes, Haman and Esther." Netherlands. 1720s. Ivory; painting, varnish. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Carved fan. China. Canton. End of the 18th century. Ivory; thread. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Fan-breeze “Grapes”. Russia. 1870-1880s. Ivory; relief carving, polishing. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Fan-breeze “Violets and forget-me-nots”. Germany. 1870s. Ivory, silk ribbon; polishing, oil painting. MGOMZ.

Fan “Garland of Flowers”. Austria. 1860s. Bone, paper; carving, painting. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Fan-breeze "Cupid playing the flute." Germany. 1870s. Ivory, silk ribbon; polishing, carving. MGOMZ.
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Fan “Allegory of the matchmaking of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich to the Hesse-Darmstadt princess.” France, Germany. 1760-1770s. Mother of pearl, paper; relief and openwork carving, gilding, silvering, gouache and watercolor painting. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
37.

Fan "Children's Scenes". Germany, France. 1895 Duvelroy company. Artist G.Schbel. Australian mother of pearl, ivory, silk; carving, gilding, gouache and watercolor painting. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Veera. Exhibition "Fan as Art" in Kolomenskoye. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Fan with screen embroidered with sequins. France. 1900s. Pet bone, silk, tulle, sequins; engravings, sequin embroidery. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Fan “Garlands of Flowers and Birds”. France. 1890s. Pet bone, gas, mechanical lace; polishing, carving, gouache painting. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Fan "Walk". Western Europe. Late 1890s. Bone, silk cloth; carving, bronzing, sequin embroidery. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Fan with mechanical lace screen. France or Belgium. 1890s. Bone, lace, silk gauze; carving, inlay, embroidery. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Children's fan. Russia. 1900s. Bone, gas; inlay, sequin embroidery. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Fan "Roses and forget-me-nots". Vein. 1890s. Grünbaum's workshop. Satin, bone, painting, engraving, carving. Museum "Art of the Fan", St. Petersburg.
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Fan-plie "Bird's nest on a flowering branch." France. Around 1895. Wood, mother of pearl, metal, silk gauze; carving, embossing, gouache. MGOMZ.
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Fan-plie "Motherhood". Paris. 1850s. Artist A.Ciroux. Roche, foil, mother of pearl, paper; carving, engraving, painted lithograph, watercolor, gouache, sepia. MGOMZ.
54.

Fan-plie “Meeting of Boaz and Ruth.” Netherlands. Around 1750 Ivory, mother-of-pearl, metal, leather; carving, engraving, inlay, gilding, polychrome painting, whitewash, tempera. MGOMZ.
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Fan-plie "The Judgment of Paris". England. 1780s. Ivory, metal, paper; carving, engraving, gilding, gouache. MGOMZ.
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The exhibition left me with the most positive and light impressions and feelings. I was lucky - there was practically no one in the exhibition space and I could fully enjoy both these wonderful aerial exhibits and the sensations that they evoked. Surprisingly, each fan wanted to open up and whisper something about its history and the fate of its owner. Some fans evoked vague waves of delight and tenderness, others made one unconsciously wary - sometimes, through the waves of fragrance of shapes and shades, torn shreds of pretense and subtle cruelty broke through... In general, everyone here can find something of their own, something that is closer to them, something that his soul wants to tell him. This is why we go to exhibitions and museums, to give us the opportunity to learn about ourselves what we are not at all aware of and what is rushing from within our everyday life to open its wings and fly...

Beautiful fans

I found an amazing collection of fans on the Internet, which I couldn’t pass up) I’m sharing with you) For all beauty lovers, I’m giving a link to a gallery that presents a huge number of fans from the 18th to 20th centuries for every taste. I’m putting here just a few of them, my favorite ones)

Eighteenth century fans

Folding fan "Moses Basket in the Reeds"

England, around 1710/20

The plates of this fan alternate between tortoiseshell and white mother-of-pearl. This was the only way to use the very fragile iris material in the production of items. The corrugated inner ivory rod is decorated with gold flower designs. In the center, surrounded by trees, is a scene from the Bible.

Folding fan "Baptism of Jesus"

Netherlands, 1740

The fan is made in blue and greenish tones typical of Holland. It depicts the baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan. The Holy Spirit hovers like a dove in the sky. The scene is surrounded by trees and the castle is in the background.Details are made of ivory

Folding fan "picnic in the village"

Holland or Germany (?) in 1760/70

The thin rods of the fan are covered with gold leaf and painted in floral patterns. At the bottom of the Deckstab there are also other rods painted with flowers. The drawing depicts a courtly society that appeared in the countryside for a picnic.

Folding fan "Holy Family"

England, 1780

Polychrome coloring, in the middle an image of Joseph and Mary, and the son Jesus. The Holy Family is "now" on its way back to Nazareth, from where it fled to Egypt to escape the infanticide of Herod. Only after his death can they feel safe there again. The goal of their journey is already visible in the delicate colors. The fan sticks are made of ivory sticks and are decorated with carved patterns in the form of a Chinese pagoda.

Folding fan "Four Seasons"

France in 1775/80

Made by French subjects from the time of Louis XVI. The fan is divided into four areas that represent the four seasons. Spring symbolizes a lady against the backdrop of a green landscape, Autumn is depicted as a young man surrounded by vineyards. On the right area is an old man and a cherub with wood for a fire. The four scenes are surrounded by a frame, with musical instruments, dishes, and a jug of wine depicted in the spaces between them. Three monographs above each are embroidered with sequins

Folding fan "Lovers in the park"

France, 1780

A beautiful Rococo style fan with a solid silk blade. The background for the three cartridges is polychrome painted in successive shading with thin longitudinal and vertical stripes, which are made in harmony with the scattered colors and countless tiny sparkles and subtle ornamental patterns. The fan depicts figurative scenes of a young admirer dating his lady love

Folding fan "dancing"

Northern France (?), 1780

The Flemish fan consists of several symmetrically arranged cartridges of various shapes and sizes, which partially overlap. The main scene depicts a company of musicians, one playing the bagpipes and the other playing the flute to the dancers.

Nineteenth century fans

Folding fan("a la Cathédrale")

France, 1830

The thin rods are decorated with evenly symmetrical patterns and rosettes, which were further emphasized with gold paint. The wide panel depicts a rural idyll in the evening twilight.

Folding fan "Euphrosyne and Apollo"
France, 1830

The fan features mythological figures on both sides. Only the contours of the pre-printed faces are hand-painted. The scene takes place against the backdrop of a romantic river landscape. On the Rock Muse Calliope sits from a board, the Pearl bars have been engraved on both sides in the form of flower vines, cornucopias, garlands and love altars, accompanied by gold-plated, decorated two tiny flower vases.

Folding fan "bullfight in honor of Isabella II"

Spain, 1850

The fan depicts Spears' last fight, which took place in the Plaza Mayor in Madrid, to celebrate the wedding of Queen Isabella II (1830-1904) and Prince Francisco de Asis de Borbón (1822-1902) in 1846.

Folding fan "Moses getting water from the rock"

Spain, mid-19th Century

In the foreground is a scene from the Bible, namely the story of Moses from the Old Testament. Moses strikes God's rod against the rock, resulting in the formation of a spring. In this way he manages to save his people from mortal thirst.

Folding fan "Mexican"

Spain (for the South American market) in 1850/60

A very unusual fan. Its rods are very long compared to the narrow "leaf". Fans of this kind are often called "Mexican fans" because they were created mainly for export to South America, Mexico, etc.. Numerous groups are depicted on the sheet people in rococo style dresses.

Folding fan "noble couple"

France (?) or Spain 1850/60

Hand painted leaf shows aristocratic society relaxing in the park

Folding fan "petitioner to St. Louis"

Spain and France (on the Spanish market) in 1850/60

An incredibly heavy and intricate fan that probably originated in France and was then exported to Spain. The mother-of-pearl sticks are decorated with intricate foliage and provided with a large amount of gold. Hand coloring print shows open court. It is headed by Louis IX. king of france

Folding fan "at the amusement park"

England or Spain (?), Mid-19th Century

A very polychrome fan of the mid-19th Century, whose lithographs depict Rococo court society in a park.

Folding fan "Rococo Society on the Terrace"

France(?) In 1850/60

This overly idealized image shows very clearly the prevailing taste of the mid-19th Century, in which the Rococo style returned to fashion. The lithographic polychrome scene was painted by hand. On the reverse side in the center there is a hand-painted Italian architectural design of a landscape surrounded by flowers. The mother-of-pearl sticks are decorated with floral motifs in a gold frame, with two rods forming a continuous design.

Folding fan "Lovers"

France, 1860

The work shows an idealized polite man of the countryside. In the foreground, three couples can be seen, but also in the middle, hanging angels are crowned with flower garlands. Behind this are two ladies and two putti with a round stone table and a flower basket. There is another decoration person in the background. Partially gilded pearl sticks in three curves and scrolls of floral curls are framed to separate cartridges that have been deposited with the finest mother of pearl.

Folding fan

France (for the English market), 1880

In the middle of the sheet, four women and one man are blindfolded, dressed in rococo style clothes, playing blind man's buff, a very popular game of that time. The three performances are framed with ornaments in the form of garlands, scrolls and other decorations.

Fans at the turn of the century

Folding fan France 1895/1900

Folding fan(calendar) USA, 1899

Folding fan Austria (?), 1900

Folding fan France, around 1905

(c) a complete gallery of different fans is located

Written

Do you want something beautiful? We have them!
IN Museum-Reserve "Kolomenskoye" Now there is not only an exhibition demonstrating the fashion of St. Petersburg of the 19th-20th centuries, but also an equally wonderful exhibition "Fan as art". Together they complement each other perfectly. So don't miss out.
The presented exhibition allows us to trace the art of fans of the late 18th - early 20th centuries. using the example of fans made of bone and mother-of-pearl. This is an unexhibited part of the collection of the Art of the Fan museum from St. Petersburg and items from the collection of the Kolomenskoye museum-reserve.

General view of the hall.

The fan, as an object for ensuring a comfortable life for a person, has been known for thousands of years. It was as an instrument for instilling coolness that it was first mentioned in writing at the end of the 2nd century. BC e., during the Zhou dynasty in China. Then the design of the fan resembled a flag. The screen was attached to the handle, and air movement was generated as the screen moved around the handle. Later this type of fan went out of use. Instead, other species have become widespread and exist to this day.
Thanks to the development of diplomatic relations and trade, fans penetrated into Europe. Initially, as gifts, they were circulated only among rulers and the court elite. The earliest document indicating the use of a fan in Europe dates back to the 12th century. Over time, fans became a fashion accessory, and then an indispensable item of women's costume. And fan art reached its highest peak in the 18th century. During this period, fan manufactories appeared in many European countries, for example, in the Netherlands, Spain, England, where the “Venerable Company of Fan Manufacturers” was founded in 1709, which exists to this day.
In Russia, the “fan boom” begins during the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna. It was during her reign, in 1751, that the first fan factory was founded.
The exhibition mostly features two types of fans - plie (from the French word le pli - fold) and brise (from the French brise - broken, broken, i.e. not solid, but consisting of separate elements). Both types of fans are folding.
A plié fan consists of a machine made of hard material (bone, wood, tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl) and a screen made of fabric, paper or parchment. Moreover, the outer plates of the machine or guard, as they are often called, were made thicker and more massive for greater strength of such a fragile object as a fan. The breeze fan is a structure made entirely of solid material. The plates were connected at the top with thread or tape.

A classic representative of the plie fan, which can be seen at the exhibition:

Fan-plie "Game of badminton".
Ivory, metal, calico; carvings, engraving, gilding, gouache, bronze painting. Length 26 cm, number of plates 16+2. Artist E. Lopez (?). Spain, 1870s. MGOMZ.

The frame of the fan is assembled from thick ivory plates, decorated with through carvings and engravings, tinted with bronze paint. The carving pattern includes plant and flower shoots in the form of medallions. The double-sided calico screen is painted with gouache and gold paint. The front side depicts gallant ladies and gentlemen in costumes of the late 18th century. One of the couples plays badminton against the backdrop of a park with antique columns, near a lake framed by floral curls. On the reverse side there is a lonely castle framed by wood, flowers, herbs and plant curls.
The brutal nature of the painting, the dark color scheme, the rough nature of the carving, and the use of bronze paint make it possible to correlate the fan with samples of Spanish fan products made in the 1870s, made in the “historicism” style. Fans with paintings such as “Badminton Game”, “Card Game”, “Boating” were fashionable in the second half of the 19th century. The characters' costumes were painted to look gallant.

Another plié fan on display at the exhibition has an interesting history.

Fan “Allegory of the matchmaking of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich to the Hesse-Darmstadt princess.”
Mother of pearl, paper; relief and openwork carving, gilding, silvering, gouache and watercolor painting. Frame length - 30 cm, screen height - 13.5 cm, screen width - 55 cm. Number of frame plates: 25. France, Germany, 1760s - 1770s.

It can be assumed that the fan in question was created in memory of the matchmaking, which became a famous event in the history of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt. Landgravine Caroline had five daughters, and they may be the subjects of the painting. The three daughters who came to Russia are in the center of the composition, and the two left at home are shown on the right side, a little further away. In the foreground, isolated from the general row, the Roman goddess of wisdom, arts and crafts Minerva is depicted moving towards them; With her attributes, it was customary to depict prominent women who actively participated in political life and patronized science and art, including Catherine II. On the other side of the throne is a man in a conventionally conveyed “Russian” dress. This character serves to clarify the meaning of the allegory. The combination of a representative of Russia and a Roman goddess on a single field can be explained by the fact that the Russian empress is represented in her image. The theme of engagement is further developed on the reverse side of the screen, where a young warrior (a young man with a spear in his hand) bows before a lady in a costume that repeats the costume of the woman on the front side.
This fan is considered a memorial exhibit because it belonged to the Hesse-Darmstadt family, first to Landgravine Caroline, and after her death in 1774 it could have been passed on to her daughter Amalia, who in 1775 married her cousin Karl Ludwig of Baden and moved to the castle Gertringen, where the fan was kept for a long time.

The second type of folding fan, as you remember, is a breeze fan. And here is one of its representatives:

Fan-breeze “Roses and cherry blossoms”.
Ivory, silk ribbon, metal threads; polishing, oil painting, weaving. Length 24 cm, number of plates 15+2. Germany, 1870s. MGOMZ.

This fan is assembled from smooth ivory plates, rounded at the top edge, decorated on the front side with oil painting in the form of large roses and cherry blossom branches. Connecting ribbon made of pink silk. The brush is made of metal threads with woven warp and four cartulins in the form of balls.
In the second half of the 19th century, breeze fans made of ivory and walrus ivory came into fashion. Breeze fans made by German carvers, decorated with floral paintings, were very popular.

In addition to the brize and plié fans, there are other models at the exhibition that are no less beautiful. For example, here is a fan of the “palmette” type:

Fan “Garland of Flowers”.
Bone, paper; carving, painting. Frame length - 27 cm, screen height - 14 cm, maximum size in the open position - 50 cm. Austria, 1860s. Museum "Art of the Fan".

This fan is framed from the bones of domestic animals, processed using the openwork carving technique. Each plate is completed with a figured paper medallion. The screen, consisting of medallions overlapping each other, is decorated with decorative paintings depicting a garland of garden flowers. The edges are decorated with gilded ornaments in the Rococo style.
This type of fan came into fashion in the 1840s. At first they were produced by Viennese fan makers, then the new model was adopted in other countries. They were not in such constant demand as fans with solid screens, but they were produced in small quantities until the 1920s. Parisian palmette fans in the 1840s-60s were usually decorated with lithographs depicting genre scenes, while in the painting of Austrian fans preference was given to floral patterns, which we can see in this example.

Taking a break from the descriptions, I’ll just show you a number of photographs of the fans I liked. For example, it was impossible not to pay attention to these paired fan screens:

"A Man in a Gothic Cathedral."

"Woman in a Gothic Cathedral."
Tree; painting, varnish, turning. England, first half of the 19th century. Fan Art Museum.

Or these 9 fan plates:

Portrait of Empress Maria Feodorovna

The fan has its own history in Russia. In the 17th century, references to fans appeared in inventories of the property of Russian queens. At that time, fans were either Western or Eastern. There were two types of fans: “fan” - made from ostrich feathers, and “bent” - from satin, husky or parchment. During the time of Alexei Mikhailovich the Quiet, father of Peter I, the first workshop appeared in the Armory, where they began to make fans for Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna, from black ostrich feathers with a jasper base, with gold and inlaid with precious stones. Some sources testify to the existence of folding fans (“charatey folding fan”), but their popularity increased only in the era of Peter I, after the tsar’s decrees on the mandatory wearing of “German” dress.

Vigilius Eriksen Portrait of Catherine II in front of a mirror

The first manufactory producing fans was founded during the time of Elizabeth Petrovna in 1751 in Moscow. They produced up to a hundred dozen fans a year: “printed”, “picturesque carved on bones”, “Turkish”, “French”, “large shadow ones on wooden bones”. The manufactory produced real masterpieces of decorative and applied art according to individual orders of the empress and aristocracy. Fans were decorated with gold, rubies, diamonds, and emeralds.

Portrait of a merchant's wife. XVIII century

Georg Groot. Portrait of Tsarevich Peter Fedorovich and Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna.

During the time of Catherine II, fans were most in demand in Russia. They were integral

Konstantin Makovsky Portrait of Maria Mikhailovna Volkonskaya

part of not only the court toilet, but also the toilet of any lady of that era. Let us remember that the fan was then used not only for its intended purpose - to bring coolness to the face, but also to create secret messages). Commemorative fans were also produced dedicated to one or another significant event, for example, Count Orlov-Chesmensky ordered a fan for Catherine II, made on the occasion of the victory of the Russian fleet over the Turkish in Chesme Bay in 1770.

Fan with portraits of Alexander III and his children Artist I.N. Kramskoy. Russia. 1886

In the 19th century, fans did not lose their popularity; now the fan is penetrating among the bourgeoisie, merchants and clergy. In the Russian magazine “Fashion Store” from 1862, it was reported that contemporaries absolutely need to have several fans with them: one for the theater, another for meetings at dinner, a third for a ball, a summer fan, an evening fan, a mourning fan, etc. . A young girl’s fan should not be similar to a mature lady’s, and a grandmother’s fan should be different from a young mother’s fan.

Wedding in Torpets Russia 1780

K.P. Bryullov. Portrait of His Serene Highness Princess Elizaveta Pavlovna Saltykova 1841.

I am starting to collect the most beautiful examples of fan art. Some copies have reached us

Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna

fans from the collection of Count Shuvalov, Count Razumovsky A.K. , Count Sheremetyev N.P., the Musin-Pushkin family (unfortunately, many items from private and public collections were sold after the Revolution of 1917) The most famous collection of fans today is the collection that belonged to Empress Maria Feodorovna, now part of this collection is stored in the Hermitage.

At different periods of time, people used fans to a greater or lesser extent. This device appeared in ancient times. This is evidenced by monuments of fine art, as well as references in texts that have survived to this day.

All fans can be divided into two types - non-folding and folding. Undoubtedly, the first fans in history did not fold. They were a sheet or circle attached to a handle. Historians suggest that the first fans appeared approximately 9 thousand years ago. However, the earliest archaeological finds date back to the period 770 - 256. BC e. Found bronze items from this time had images of fans with long handles. In addition, during excavations in Jiangling (Hubei Province), some parts of fans were discovered that were made from feathers attached to a wooden handle. In those days, the presence of a fan spoke of the wealth and high status of its owner.

Over time, the shape of the fans improved. During the Warring States period (5th – 3rd centuries BC), semicircular fans made from thin bamboo plates came into use. It is noteworthy that fans were used by all segments of the population - both emperors and slaves. The last fans helped to endure the heat while working. The emperors loved to relax under them.

Later, various materials began to be used to make fans. For example, ivory, animal horns, bamboo and sandalwood were used to make the handle of a fan, and it was decorated with gold and jade.

In Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece, fans were made from wide leaves or feathers (usually peacock feathers). They were attached to a wooden or bone handle. The names of such devices differed at different times and in different territories. For example, the ancient Romans called the fan flabellum, and the Byzantines called it ripida. The last one to get the fan was from the pagans. The Byzantines used ripids during church services. It was from Byzantium that Europe inherited fans. Initially, they were a rectangular frame covered with fabric. The first mentions of European fans are found in inventories dating back to the 14th century. Somewhat later, these fans appear in portraits.

At the end of the 16th century, the first East Indian companies appeared in Europe (first in Great Britain, and then in other countries), which received the right to trade with East India. It was at this time that ships first began to deliver strange things from the East to Europe. Along with other items, the folding fan also gained great popularity, especially in Venice, where this item accompanied most women during the carnival. The fan of that time had the shape of a semicircle and gained greatest popularity in the 17th century.

As for Russia, here the history of the appearance of the fan begins approximately in the 16th century and it was a fan made of feathers attached to a wooden or bone handle. Sometimes they were decorated with gold, silver and precious stones. The folding fan has been known in Rus' since the 17th century, but at first it was used exclusively by members of the royal family and their entourage.

The situation changed at the beginning of the 18th century, when Peter I introduced many Western innovations into use among the upper classes. Among them was a fan. This item became most widespread during the reign of Catherine II. During this period, it became an almost obligatory attribute of the toilet of most women. Ladies rarely went out without a fan. As fashion trends changed, the shape and size of fans changed.