Double-sided folding fan, anonymous, c. 1800 - c. 1825
Fans decorated with figures, whose faces were made of painted ivory and their clothing of silk, were produced in southern China as early as the 17th century. Over the course of the 18th century, this type of fan developed further in Canton and also became extremely popular in Europe. Depicted on this fan are Taoist figures with their attributes; they are ‘Immortals’, seated on clouds.