Fans

Although several of these fans belonged to the queens and princesses of Spain, during the Civil War they were mixed up with others belonging to private individuals that had been stored by the Artistic Recovery Service in the basements of the Bank of Spain. In 1967, this group was divided between Patrimonio Nacional and the National Museum of Decorative Arts.

The collection allows us to trace the history of fans from the first half of the 18th century to the first third of the 20th century. There is a magnificent set of Rococo period fans with luxurious mother-of-pearl and ivory ribs, and leaves showing mythological, biblical and historical scenes. From the splendid collection of Elisabeth Farnese there are two mounted specimens and another twenty-one framed as paintings at the express wish of this queen.

The reigns of Charles III and Charles IV produced some of the most original fans, most of them of French and English origin, with Chinese motifs, still lifes and trompe l'oeils, or Spanish ones with views of Madrid and another promoting the actress Rita Luna. There are neoclassical ones from the last quarter of the century with various scenes of gallantry -Louis XVI style-, and those inspired by Pompeii and the Grand Tour, with Italian ruins and landscapes of remarkable quality.

The first quarter of the 19th century is represented by fans in the Empire style, such as the cathedral-type brisé fans and others painted with scenes from antiquity. The style evolves towards the romantic or "Cristino" fan, alluding to Queen Maria Cristina of Bourbon, the ivory, bone, mother-of-pearl and enamelled metal ribs of which support leaves printed and painted with feminine, amorous and domestic subjects.

The group of fans from the reign of Isabel II are characterised by their abundance of decoration, visible on the ribs as well as on the leaves with coloured lithographic prints, although certain palmette models and others signed by José Colomina stand out. There are a lot of oriental fans, especially the Chinese lacquered brisé and hundred face types, with ribs of carved wood, ivory or gilded metal in all variants. There are also superb Japanese brisé fans of the zoge-ogi type from the end of the century.

The collection of fans from the Alfonsino period are remarkable for the quality of their materials and the leaves, many painted by well-known artists. The repertoire of themes is notably wider, including notable landscapes and views of monuments, scenes of popular life, still lifes and commemorative souvenirs such as the wedding of Maria Cristina of Habsburg to Alfonso XII, the Baptism of Alfonso XIII and the visit of the aforementioned queen to the city of Valencia. The new European fashions from the turn of the century are represented in the collection with a striking group of lace and painted taffeta fans, modernist period floral fans and fans made of ostrich feathers or those of other exotic birds. Several fans of the Infantas Eulalia and Maria Teresa are preserved from this time, with their names or initials marked on the guards and leaves.

In general, the 20th century fans show more popular subjects, with Spanish life, bullfighting, festivities and children. Even so, some are of remarkable quality, such as those supplied to the Crown by the house of Bach in Madrid, with Views of the Royal Palaces, theatrical choreography and scenes of popular life.