Fan

1820s-1830s-unknown (Country)

Material: 

Tortoiseshell gilded; pattern in Gothic style; twenty-five ribs.

Dimension: 

32.0cm (width) / 17.2cm (height)

This tortoiseshell fan is indicative of the Gothic Revival. It is a brisé fan with 25 sticks connected by brown silk ribbon. The whole fan is gilded in a pattern resembling gothic architecture. In this period, the Gothic Revival took hold on architecture in particular, and ornaments in general. Fans disappeared at the very beginning of the 19th century, but they were revived in conjunction with the trend of Romanticism. After that they became essential for women's fashion until the end of the 19th century.

Inventory Number(s): AC2218 79-9-23