Folding Fan with Painting and Calligraphy

Culture: Chinese
Dynasty: Qing dynasty, 1644–1911
Period: Tongzhi period, 1861–1875
Date: 1869
Material: Ink and color on paper with bamboo
associated with: Wuchang, Hubei province, China, Asia
Classification: Jewelry & personal accessories, paintings
Collection: Asian Art
Current Location: Not on view
Dimensions: open: 12 1/8 x 18 1/2 x 7/8 in. (30.8 x 47 x 2.2 cm)
closed: 12 1/8 x 1 1/4 x 7/16 in. (30.8 x 3.2 x 1.1 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Elizabeth McDaniel Peterson
Rights: Public Domain
Object Number: 138:2011.1

NOTES

This folding fan features a painting of butterflies and flowers accompanied by an inscription on one side. On the reverse, the calligraphy transcribes 14 five-character regulated verses (each with a total of 40 characters) by the poet Cen Shen (715–770) of the Tang dynasty, and also includes a dedicatory inscription.

The fan has two thick bamboo outer guards as well as 28 thin bamboo inner ribs. Two fan-shaped sheets of paper—one for the painting and the other for the calligraphy—are pasted on either side of the ribs. The outer and inner ribs are fastened together near the base of the fan and the ends are capped by round bamboo rivets.

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