The marriage of George III and Queen Charlotte took place at St James’s Palace, London, on 8 September 1761, a short time after the bride’s arrival in this country. Their coronation in Westminster Abbey followed two weeks later. The royal union is here supported by allegorical figures probably representing Fame and the Arts in the centre, with personifications of Commerce and Liberty (at left) and Britannia and Neptune (at right).

From the 1720s the increased sophistication of the print-publishing industry, combined with the widespread use of fans throughout Europe, meant that numerous printed fan leaves were produced, particularly in London. Fans of a royal or commemorative nature were particularly popular, and would have been available with hand-painted coloured additions at an extra cost. Three other examples of fans with this printed leaf are known: one in the Schreiber collection, and two in private collections.

The carved ivory guards and sticks were imported from China. Miscellaneous decorative items from the East were quite widely available in Europe by this date.

Text adapted from Unfolding Pictures: Fans in the Royal Collection 2005