Fan

This folding fan would have been produced specifically for the European export market, rather than for local Chinese, whose fans were custom-made and reflected the social status of their owners. It is an example of the European fascination with China and goods manufactured there. The use of Chinese motifs and techniques in Western art, furniture, and architecture was known in Europe as 'chinoiserie'.

One hundred faces
This fan shows people and scenes from Chinese court life. The figures are made out of silk robes and painted ivory faces, which are fixed onto the leaf. Known as 'One hundred faces' or, alternatively, 'Mandarin' or 'Canton', these sorts of fans were produced in China throughout the nineteenth century. They were made around Canton (Guangzhou), the only Chinese port open to European traders at this time. Strong pink, blue, and green painted decorations are typical of these types of fans.

Cabriolet
The Chinese elements are set on a European style of fan known as cabriolet. Cabriolet fans first appeared after 1755 after the introduction of a two-wheeled carriage of the same name. The wheels of these horse-drawn carriages were strengthened with concentric bands. This effect was imitated in cabriolet fans by mounting two or more narrow concentric bands on the sticks, which exposed them like the spokes of a wheel. In this example the wide wooden sticks between the leaves are lacquered black and are decorated with gold figures and floral motifs.