Unfolding Pictures: Fans in the Royal Collection

The first fully detailed study written from within the Royal Collection on one of the most important collections of fans in the world. The Royal Collection of fans is unique. Rather than being purchased by connoisseurs, nearly all the fans were created for or presented to their original royal owners, and have an unbroken provenance almost without precedent in the history of fan collecting.

This lavishly illustrated book presents the most beautiful, important and historically interesting fans, together with the stories of their creation, acquisition and biographical information on their owners.

A general introduction provides the background information on the history of fans and this collection in particular, while detailed descriptions and specially commissioned colour photography highlight aspects of design and manufacture. Archive and contextual paintings, drawings, prints and photographs supplement the historical background, while a further important feature of the book is the full description of each fan, giving complete provenance and technical details (following scientific examination), together with a glossary of specialist terms, bibliography and index.