Editor's Note:

Throughout the long history of Hainan, different cultural treasures have emerged in many parts of the island. This series, titled ‘Rebirth of Cultural Relics’, will systematically sort through these ancient wonders, delve deeply into the stories and meanings behind them, and bring them back to life as more and more people begin to understand what makes them so special.

Paintings of court scenes and personal portraits from 18th and 19th-century Europe often feature richly dressed aristocratic women brandishing exquisitely crafted folding fans. These fans, perhaps unbeknownst to modern-day Europeans, were an exclusively Chinese accessory of Western dress at the time. Why were these Qing Dynasty Chinese fans, exported to Europe, so popular among the upper crust of Western society? In this edition of "Rebirth of Relics," learn more about this Qing Dynasty single-sided ivory fan with a carved pavilions and pagodas landscape pattern.

A single-sided ivory cockade fan with carved pavilions and pagodas landscape patterns (Qing Dynasty, held by China (Hainan) Museum of the South China Sea)

Background

Hello everyone! I am a Qing Dynasty single-sided ivory fan with carved pavilions and pagodas landscape patterns. In 18th and 19th-century Europe, my siblings and I were prized by European aristocrats as fashion accessories, and we were often given as gifts or kept in collections. Why were rich European nobles so fond of us? Let's get into it.

A single-sided ivory fan with carved pavilions and pagodas landscape patterns from the Qing Dynasty, held by the China (Hainan) Museum of the South China Sea, was a popular style in the late Qianlong period (around the 1790s) in terms of its shape and size.

The fan is 37 cm long and 37.2 cm wide. It is made of 64 ivory ribs and decorated in nine concentric circles. The entire fan is adorned with ivory threads as thin as a hair. Its exquisite texture and superb craftsmanship perfectly reflect the superb level of ivory carving technology for fans exported at the time.

Ideal gifts and must-have collector's items

During the Qing Dynasty from the 18th to the 19th century, exported folding fans brought in from China were popular in Europe and the United States, particularly among the wealthy and nobility. The "bone fan" (also known as the "Brise fan") was the earliest kind of fan exported from China, and it remained popular throughout the "fan craze." This style of fan was made entirely of ribs strung together with thread, without a surface material. When unfolded, the interlaid fan ribs themselves formed the fan's surface.

Bone fans were made of various materials, including ivory, tortoiseshell, clamshell, sandalwood, and black lacquer with gold or silver gilt filigree cloisonne. The most popular medium was ivory. Due to the rarity of the material and the exquisite craftsmanship involved, ivory fans became high-value gifts and collector's items among European aristocrats.

Note: The trade of ivory and production and trade of ivory products is now expressly banned. While the beauty of ivory products cannot be denied, they are historical artifacts best appreciated in museums.

A folding fan with a gold and silver filigree carved bone handle and paper leaves with copper-embroidered floral patterns (Qing Dynasty)

A folding fan with a carved colored bone handle and beaded voile surface bearing a painting of two European figures (Qing Dynasty)

A white feather folding fan with carved shell handle and ribs (Qing Dynasty)

A black lacquer brise fan with red infilled gold filigree depicting pavilions, pagodas, and people (Qing Dynasty)

A double-sided carved ivory brise fan depicting court life with a heraldic badge (Qing Dynasty)

Incredible craftsmanship

"Cockade fans" are named after the round cockade ornaments (such as rosettes) that featured on ladies’ hats.

They were considered the creme de la creme of exported Chinese fans, made from expensive materials, and extremely complicated to produce. Ivory thread was used to weave the fan's surface and form the bas-relief patterns.

But how on earth was a hard, voluminous material like ivory turned into thread? Ivory tusks were soaked in a chemical solution to soften them before they were split into hair-like filaments, which were then woven into the desired pattern. Artisans in Guangzhou were extremely skilled at this process.

As China began trading more extensively with the outside world, exquisite exported fans witnessed the exchange and collision of Chinese and Western cultures, spreading Chinese craftsmanship globally. Come visit the China (Hainan) Museum of the South China Sea and other museums across China to get a closer look at these masterpieces.