This intricately designed artifact (dated 1590 – 1620) is a rare survivor of a short-lived style which was a popular fashion statement of its time. Today, no other examples can be found of this folding fan dating earlier than the 17th century. Fans with a striking similarity to this appeared in two portraits of Queen Elizabeth I.
The Fan Museum is delighted to announce it has acquired, with the generous support of the Art Fund and National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF), a unique piece of fan history in the form of an embroidered folding fan, c1590–1630.