Town and Country
6th September - 31st December 2016
The Museum’s twenty fifth anniversary year finishes with an unusual perspective on a fascinating theme: an exhibition of fans which depict the built environment.
Throughout the centuries fan leaves provided a canvas on which fan painters & printers recorded changing fashions in architecture. This exhibition brings together fans which depict both domestic and stately houses, famous architectural landmarks, bustling city squares, parks and grand hotels.
Buildings on fans are not as numerous as those which display figures or flowers, but when they do appear they tell us so much about the time when both interiors and exteriors were made; the people they belonged to and generally the human appeal, which makes fans delightful reflections of their time.
This exhibition explores the varied influences of architecture throughout history and proves once again that the greater arts are closely connected with the lesser yet infinitely more accessible Decorative Arts.
Mother of pearl fan with carved monture, painted with a view of Chateau Fresneaux-Montchevreuil (French, c. 1870s)
Ivory fan painted with a view of Holkham Hall, Norfolk (Probably Italian, c. 1780s)
Ivory fan with carved monture, painted with a view of North Parade, Bath. Signed by the artist Thomas Loggan (English, 1749)
Mother of pearl fan with pierced monture, depicting the Place des Victoires (French, c. 1740-50)
Browse Past Displays
In this section
Museum Opening Times
Tuesday - Saturday
11am - 5pm
Sunday
12pm - 5pm
Planned Closures
12 Crooms Hill, Greenwich,
London SE10 8ER
Admission
Adults: £5.00
Concessions: 
£3.00
Children (age 7-16): £3.00
National Trust Members:
50% discount on the adult price ticket
Free Entry for...
Children under 7, Art Fund Members and London Pass Members
