'A small celebration of the hand fan'

Worth collecting?

Golden handles, ivory legs, and gemstone bling. Fans became true works of art with portrait miniatures and gemstone inlays. The applications of the fan are also versatile: as fly swatters, masks, state gifts, advertising materials and decoration; fans were used for various purposes, but the main function was to caress the vanity. Collectors feast on rare specimens and will readily pay for a unique item.

And did you know that master artists such as Degas and Van Gogh even painted fans? Of all the inventions, the fan was perhaps one of the most obvious after the stick. Fans were present early. They are mentioned in the Old Testament and we know that the ancient Egyptians also used them around 1300 BC. Not only to cool down, but also for ceremonial purposes, such as carrying large fans at the head of a procession that preceded an important person. The profession of fan bearer existed at that time!

Some beautiful specimens have been found in the tomb of Tutankhamun (around 1330 BC). One of them shows a gold-embossed representation of the young monarch during the ostrich hunt. The feathers obtained from such a hunt were used for fans. At least for the richer people, because the less fortunate probably had to make do with cheaper materials. Also in China, where fans were in use at least a thousand years before Christ. There, peacock feathers were used by the upper classes, which were later often replaced by silk and a fabric called kossu. However, in China you did not have the free choice of your fan. The law prescribed exactly which classes could use which type of impeller.

Over time, fans, especially in Western Europe from the 17th century onwards, evolved into a wide variety of shapes, sizes and materials. The fan leaf could be made of parchment, silk, leather, lace and even mica. The legs of the fan were made of various materials such as wood, ivory, tortoiseshell and mother of pearl. Fans were often decorated with carvings, gemstones, portrait miniatures and paintings. The value of a fan was determined not only by its materials, but also by its beauty, age and rarity.
Some fans can even fetch significant sums at auction, especially if they are painted by famous artists such as Edgar Degas, Vincent van Gogh and Oscar Kokoschka. If you want to score a unique fan at auction, delve into history and visit exhibitions. The market value of the fans is not always determined by the materials used. Collectors pay more attention to beauty, age and rarity. They will pay less for any 19th century fan with a silver handle than for an 18th century mica fan. Mica is not expensive, but there are few mica fans and only two have come onto the market in ten years.

Anyone who wants to collect fans would do well to attend and view auctions so that it becomes clear what their value is. It is advisable for fans of fans to inform themselves well and orientate themselves before purchasing a valuable fan.

Annotation for the pictures above, from left to right:

1. Ostrich feather hand-fan with an ivory handle discovered in the tomb of Tutankhamun dates back to the 18th dynasty of Egypt, around 1332 to 1323 BC
2. This magnificent fan was once decorated with thirty white and brown ostrich feathers on its upper, semicircular edge, which were captured as trophies by Tutankhamun himself during an ostrich hunt. The fan made of gilded wood is decorated on both sides with depictions of such a hunt. On one side of the fan sheet you can see Tutankhamun - standing in his chariot with his bow drawn and ready to shoot - taking aim at a fleeing ostrich. The animal, already hit by an arrow in the neck, is chased by its dog, and its chariot horses rush after the ostrich. Sizes: L 105.5 cm, W. 18.5 cm
3. Folding fan with mother of pearl monture & painted leaf, signed ‘Billotey.’ 
French, c. 1905
 (Helene Alexander Collection), Location: The Fan Museum in Greenwich

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