This exhibition of just over 100 fans with floral motifs of every kind from Europe and Asia celebrates the bicentenary of the Royal Horticultural Society. From the seventeenth century onwards, flowers appear on fans: When fans were a status symbol and sported serious subjects such as copies of classical paintings with esoteric scenes deriving from mythology and history, a wonderful profusion of flowers was often painted on the reverse of these fans (this being the side which was held up to the face). Tulips, so much in vogue at that time took pride of place beside the rose, the flower of Venus, goddess of Love. There were also hyacinths, jasmine and carnations, popular at the court of Louis XIV, no doubt for their sweet scent which the Sun King greatly appreciated for obvious reasons: rooms were often evil-smelling and Mme de Maintenon was always complaining that the King kept having windows flung open at all times of the year!

Although the eighteenth century incorporates flowers in the borders of fans and, along with amatory devices so popular during the Siècle des Lumières they are often carved in the montures, or form the garlands of participants in the Fêtes Galantes, repeated throughout that period, there are relatively few fans in the eighteenth century the subject of which is specifically flowers.

For the great “flowering” on fans we have to wait until the nineteenth century and, particularly, to the end of the century when, with the emergence of the Art Nouveau style, some of the most spectacular fans, painted with life-size blooms, with botanical precision and consummate art, often signed, grace the leaves of countless éventails. Also as the trade exchange with the East increased, it’s likely that the artists and craftsmen from Europe were influenced and inspired by the importance of flowers in Japanese culture and way of life and the more consistent way of using flowers in art in China.

A commemorative fan, designed by the artist Charles Summers will mark this occasion and will be available by mail order from Fans Ltd. Please contact the museum for further information or visit http://www.fan-museum.org/commemorativefans.asp