In Performance: Fans of Theatre, Music and Dance

Our new exhibition In Performance: Fans of Theatre, Music and Dance is now on display from 4th February- 14th June 2025.

Curated by Mary Kitson, curatorial consultant to The Fan Museum, this exhibition presents a wide-range of fans portraying and a part of the performing arts.

The fans of theatre focus strongly on the popularity of Commedia dell’Arte, a 16th century Italian form of theatre, depicting a troupe of characters including Harlequin, Colombine and Pierrot. While the section on dance emphasises the use of fans as accessories to dance around the globe, such as dance cards, provide instruction for dancers or simply souvenirs of dance forms. The presentation of music on fans features widely as the principle theme or part of the principal theme, with musical instruments playing an important supporting role, depicted as motifs in the borders of the fan leaf or carved on the sticks.

This exhibition aims to take its audience on a journey of discovery, blending a diverse assortment of objects into- it is hoped- a coherent and thought-provoking whole.

Souvenir of the Bal Costumé at Buckingham Palace May 1842 painted by Albert Durer Lucas, ivory brisé fan, English, c.1875, HA Collection 142 Shadow puppet fan, buffalo hide leaves and buffalo horn sticks, Indonesia, 20th century, LDFAN1997.12 Pierrots in the Rain signed Van Garden, bone fan with double silk leaf, French, c.1910, HA Collection 621 Al Immortal Rossini, wooden fan with double-sided paper leaf, Spanish, c.1830, LDFAN2016.101 Brisé fan with asses' skin sticks and horn guardsticks studded with silver metal discs, French, c.1820, HA Collection 1415