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| Fan English, 1751 The Victoria & Albert Museum |
Fans had a variety of meanings. Aside from being a useful accessory, they were also used as a form of flirtatious communication. Still, fans—like all art forms—took on more serious meanings and were used to commemorate events ranging from marriages and births to illnesses and deaths.
This lovely fan commemorates the death of Frederick, Prince of Wales (son of George II) in 1751. The fan leaf is adorned with an image of Britannia with her shield, spear and lion. On the left of the leaf, a weeping allegorical figure carries a shield with the Hanoverian horse emblem, representing the Royal Family.
Like most mourning fans of this period, it is painted in grisaille (grey wash) and silver, with a border of black gouache. The leaf is supported by appropriately simple and subdued ivory sticks.
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