Made in Rome between 1770 and 1780, this fan of gouache on vellum, with carved and pierced ivory sticks, and carved and inlaid ivory guards was one of the many collected by Queen Mary throughout her lifetime. The Queen’s interest in fans began as the young Princess Victoria Mary of Teck. Known as “Princess May,” she was often given fans as gifts by her “Cambridge” cousins—members of the Royal family who were especially fond of the intelligent young lady. By the time Princess May had ascended as Queen Consort, she was as generous with her possessions as others had been with her. She often made gifts from her own collection to her favorite people. The Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother) with whom Queen Mary shared her titles, was a favorite, and often the recipient of such gifts.
This particular fan was given by Queen Mary, slightly before her death, to the Victoria & Albert Museum. The fan leaf depicts a view of the church of St Peter’s in Rome, fitting the curving colonnades of the basilica to the shape of the fan leaf. In the Eighteenth Century, many Britons embarked upon “the Grand Tour” of Europe and collected souvenir items such as this. While the subject matter is clearly Roman, the sticks and guards are certainly influenced by the popular style of the time-- carved with fashionable Chinoiserie scenes.
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