London’s Chinois Fans

Talking of the Museum of London the other day (Chinoiserie elevators would you believe) I was rather hoping to show you an image of a fan they have from the Imperial Restaurant in London that dates back to about 1900-05 – a lovely object, a good bit of advertising and one of London’s most famous old Chinese eateries. However, I don’t have that image but I did find this…

A gorgeous fan from about 1727 and made in London by William Werndly who’s shop, The Golden Fan, was in Leicester Square. Its ivory sticks and chinois motif would have made it expensive, much more expensive than the cheaper Chinese fans then being imported into England from China by entrepreneurial merchants. How great would it have looked waved around by a beautiful woman at the theatre or the pleasure gardens??

More details here…