Fan of the Month November 2026

Fable of the Miller, his Son and the Ass, English Fan Leaf, 1740, by Stephanie Worrell

This hand-coloured etched fan leaf, dated around 1740, was gifted to The Fan Museum in 1990.

Printed fans produced through etching became increasingly popular by the mid-18^th century as affordable, mass-produced accessories, merging the aesthetics of mythological, biblical, etc. illustrations with themes of satire, politics and entertainment. Etching is a printmaking technique in which lines are scratched into a metal plate, allowing the incised markings to hold ink that could then be transferred onto paper. On this fan leaf, streaks and dots of gouache have been dashed across the printed scenes, adding colour and detail to the illustrations. This method of production was a much more affordable alternative to hand-painted luxury fans, making them more attainable for a growing middle class.

Across the fan leaf, five individual scenes illustrate the fable of The Miller, his Son and the Ass. The earliest surviving written version of the story dates to the 13^th century and is attributed to Ibn Said, a geographer, historian and collector of poetry from Al-Andalus. The tale is also closely associated with Aesop’s fables, to which it is traditionally credited. The story follows a miller and his son as they travel with an ass to sell. Along the way, they are mocked by villagers when the son rides on the animal, accusing him of being a lazy young boy who shows no respect for his elders. In turn, the son suggests that his father ride the ass instead, even though the ass struggles to carry him. Further villagers criticize the miller for being a lazy old man, forcing his son to struggle along behind him. Unable to satisfy those around them, the miller and his son decide that they will both ride on the donkey. However, women from the village accuse them of hurting the animal by placing too much weight on it. To escape their disapproval, the miller and his son tie the ass to a pole and carry it on their shoulders. The ass frustrated, breaks free from its ties and falls into the river.

Aesop’s fables were originally passed verbally from person to person and acted as a form of entertainment and as a way of communicating moral lessons. These fables often use animals allegorically to explore human behaviour. The moral of this fable is that trying to please everyone ultimately pleases no one.

Fables became particularly popular across Europe through the work of the French fabulist Jean de La Fontaine, whose collection of fables (The Miller, his Son and the Ass, Book III, No.1), was published in 1668. As these translated stories gained popularity, print publishers and fan retailers capitalized on contemporary tastes. This fan leaf is likely to have been produced as part of this wider trend.

Exhibited at The Fan Museum, ‘Homage to the Donor’, (January – June 1992), and
The Fan Museum, Greenwich, ‘England’s Green & Pleasant Land’, (11 September 2012 – 6 January 2013).