Special Donors Event at The Fan Museum
On Monday 01 February 2016, The Fan Museum hosted a special event to thank those who generously donated to the recent purchase of an Elizabethan folding fan.
The Fan Museum welcomed guests from the Art Fund, the National Heritage Memorial Fund and numerous Friends of The Fan Museum to celebrate the recent purchase and installation of an Elizabethan embroidered folding fan (c. 1590 – 1630). The fan is thought to be the only surviving example of its kind, and forms an integral and unique part of The Fan Museum’s collections.
The fan was recently integrated into the museum’s permanent collection, and this special occasion allowed donors to enjoy the new acquisition and to learn more of its significance as a piece of fan history.
The event was attended by guest of honour Sir Roy Strong C.H., former director of both The National Portrait Gallery and The Victoria & Albert Museum. Sir Roy gave a short speech to highlight the significance of this acquisition, and provided a fascinating insight into the Elizabethan period in which the fan was produced.
Thank you to everyone who attended and supported our successful bid to acquire the Elizabethan period embroidered fan.
Photo Credit: Rhian Cox
- Curator Jacob Moss presents the Elizabethan fan.
- The Mayor and Mayoress of the Royal Borough of Greenwich
- The Fan Museum’s founder and director, Hélène Alexander MBE with Sir Roy Strong C.H.
- Sir Roy Strong and John Naylor, Master of The Worshipful Company of Fan Makers.
- Friends of The Fan Museum enjoy a glass of bubbly with Sir Roy Strong.
- Guests enjoyed the new acquisition, along with the museum’s latest temporary exhibition, ‘Treasures of The Fan Museum’.
In this section
Upcoming Events
Talking Fans > Dance Fans and the Georgian Assembly Room
Wednesday 25 May 2022 at 19.00hrs BST
In eighteenth and nineteenth century Europe, assemblies and balls were the centre of the Season where complex dances and social relationships played out. A plethora of dance manuals and sheet music were created to teach the music and social etiquette of the assembly rooms, which included the popularisation of the Country Dance fan and Quadrille fan. Join TFM Curatorial Assistant Ailsa Hendry as she explores the relationship between dance, fans, and society during this period.
Talking Fans > Art of Deception: 18th Century Trompe l’œil Fans
Wednesday 22 June 2022 at 19.00hrs BST
The French term trompe l’œil can be translated as ‘trick of the eye’ and applies to works of art which create an illusion of a real object or scene. Although its origins can be traced back to the Classical period, the trompe l’œil phenomenon is especially prevalent in the eighteenth century and is applied in varying ways to fans throughout the period. Join TFM Curator & The Arts Society Lecturer, Jacob Moss as he explores the trompe l’œil trend as seen on a variety of eighteenth century fans from the Museum’s outstanding collections.
Summer Lecture with Hélène Alexander
Wednesday 27 July 2022 at 19.00hrs BST
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