16/1997-2

Collection

Textiles

Brief description

Balloon-shaped fan in cotton, silk and wood, decorated with a Japanese woman holding a cat, possibly made in Japan c.1890-1950.

Object name

fan

Object number

16/1997-2

Production date

1890-1950 (manufactured)

Production place

Japan (manufactured)

Period

Victorian (1837-1901)
Twentieth century (1900-1999)

Material

cardboard
canvas
cotton
wood
silk
paint

Technique

painted
woven
sewn
carved
hand painted

Physical description

This balloon shaped fan has a red rayon ground, featuring a padded fabric Japanese woman with a painted face, holding a white cat. The woman wears a black and grey checked kimono with red and gold fabric detailing. The reverse of the fan has a cream cotton canvas ground that is hand-painted with a picture of a pink peony with green foliage, next to a salmon coloured urn. Above this are twigs coloured grey with green foliage, yellow flowers and an orange butterfly. The fan has green fabric edging. The handle of the fan is coated in black gloss paint, decorated with stylised gold painted sprigs of bamboo shoots and a butterfly.

Content description

The fan is decorated with a female Japanese figure wearing a black and grey checked kimono with red and gold fabric detailing. The figure is holding a white cat.

Dimensions

Length: 39cm
Width: 20cm

Website keywords

ornaments

Label

Label text for the exhibition At Home with the World, Geffrye Museum (20 March 2012- 9 September 2012):

Fans

No artistic fireplace was complete without a few fans, especially Japanese ones. Maud Berkeley wrote in 1892 of satisfying her desire, if not her husband’s, for all things Japanese by: ‘hanging fans and parasols above the mantelpiece in the drawing room. Wanted to place a few spare ones in Jim’s library but he refused the treat’.