The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of August 9, 2026

A semicircular folding fan with a brownish net leaf displays applique figures in eighteenth-century attire. Centered beneath a blue and red canopy, a couple is flanked by figures on ornate bases and floral arrangements. Pink garlands border the leaf's edges. Below, ivory sticks pierced with intricate patterns and inlaid with gold and silver taper to a single pin. The composition balances delicate meshwork with ornate figures and fine ivory craftsmanship.

Folding Fan: Figures and Ornaments in Applique

c. 1770

Germany

(?)
leaf: net, paper; frame: ivory with gold and silver inlays
Radius: 26.9 cm (10 9/16 in.); Spread: 48.3 cm (19 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade 1916.362
Location: Not on view
  • Fans: East and West. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 15, 1992-March 7, 1993).
    Inaugural Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (co-organizer) (June 6-September 20, 1916).
  • {{cite web|title=Folding Fan: Figures and Ornaments in Applique|url=false|author=|year=c. 1770|access-date=09 August 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.362