item details
NameFan
ProductionUnknown; 1800-1900; China
Classificationfans, brisé fans, costume, accessories
Materialsfeather, bone, paint
DimensionsOverall: 620mm (width), 370mm (height), 20mm (depth)
Registration NumberPC000094
Credit lineGift of Mrs Alec Tweedie, 1946
Overview
Peacocks have always been a symbol of well being and good luck in Asia. In Europe their popularity increased in the late nineteenth century when people began using them in domestic interiors and as a motif in design and decorative arts.
Peacock feathers
In this fan peacock feathers surmount white feathers painted with Chinese figures and flowers. Fashionable accessories like this fan demonstrate how peacock feathers were part of the popular taste as well as the more intense artistic expressions of the Aesthetic and the Arts and Crafts Movements.