A Chinese Fan decorated on the papers with vignettes of Canton, Macao and Hong Kong, the reverse painted with flowers, insects and peacocks

The views are dateable to the mid-19th century from the presence of the Protestant Church (built in 1847 and burnt down in 1856) in the Canton view: 'That fans were some of the most highly desired individual objects of the China trade is evidenced by the great number that have survived in wonderful condition, the listings in original shipping invoices, and the mention of these exotic confections in diaries and accounts. ... The Peabody Museum owns two of the prized fans with views of the hongs at Canton. One has carved sandalwood, the other carved tortoiseshell sticks. The paper leaves on which the vignettes of Canton are painted are also decorated with flowers, birds and butterflies. The views each show the Canton of 1855, with a western sidewheeler and a small river cutter in the harbour. The depiction of the hongs is accurate, and each of the white buildings with its flag can be readily identified. ... the fans may well have been decorated by one of the recognised watercolourists, since the fan papers are of high draughtsmanship and quality. ... The earliest view of Canton on a fan, possibly painted around 1760, is in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. The view is enclosed within a meandering floral border, much more characteristic of the 18th century in style than the borders found on the later fans. The ivory sticks are pierced and carved in several geometric shapes, again much more typical of this early period. Thus the concept and popularity of these ‘port’ fans was spread over a period of some one hundred years.' (Crossman, pp.322-26).
'Bills of lading of the late 18th and 19th centuries list thousands of fans of all materials, designs and prices which were shipped to America and Europe. An auction of 1832 of the contents of a ship in New York harbor, recently arrived from Canton, itemized crate after crate of nothing but fans. The more typical pierced ivory and feather fans are seen frequently today, but the expensive and exotic fans on the original listings are rarely met with. The market for fans, athough in no way equaling that of the market for porcelains, was tremendous, and some of the finest Chinese craftsmanship was exerted on the execution of ornate fans for Western consumption. ... The materials used included sandalwood (brought from Hawaii to China by American merchants), ivory, mother-of-pearl, silver, gold and lacquer. On the fan papers the most popular designs were court or gardens scenes ... On the rarest fans are views of Canton ...' (C.L. Crossman, A Catalogue of Chinese Export Paintings, Furniture, Silver and other Objects, 1785-1865, Peabody Museum, Salem, 1970, p.41).