The story of the Continence of Scipio was first told by Livy. After the capture of Carthage by the Roman forces led by Publius Cornelius Scipio in 209 BC, Scipio’s soldiers brought him a beautiful female prisoner as a prize of war. When Scipio learnt that the prisoner was already betrothed to Prince Allucius, he summoned her parents and her fiancé and insisted that she be returned to the prince. Furthermore, Scipio refused to accept the gift of gold offered to him by the parents and gave it instead to the young prince. Scipio is here shown seated to left of centre, his gaze directed at the young prince who approaches from the right, with other figures bearing precious gifts. The girl who had been offered to Scipio is shown at left with a group of Scipio’s soldiers. The dogs accompanying the group may allude to fidelity. The subject was popular throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The allusions to the high moral stand and self-restraint that could be found in a brave and successful military leader meant that it was well suited for fan leaves: the holder of the fan might look for such qualities from her suitor.

The fan was purchased by Queen Mary in 1925 from the collection of Major H.C. Dent, a renowned authority on piqué. The Queen probably acquired the fan as much for the fine silver piqué guards and sticks as for the high quality of the painting on the leaf. The name of the artist may be indicated by the initials N.F., inscribed below the column in the centre. The figure painting in the Rape of Europa fan leaf at Christ Church, Oxford, signed by Filippo Lauri (1623-94) and datable to the early 1690s, has elements in common with the present leaf.

Leaf inscribed N.F.

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