Cockade fans – which open at a full 360° circle – have been made in the Far East since the earliest times. The coat of arms and Prince of Wales’s feathers indicate that this fan – an extraordinarily high-quality example – was made for the Prince of Wales (later George IV); it would have been ordered in China for export to England. Both the decoration and the broad grip of the handle indicate that this fan was intended for male use. Typically, the western ornamental vocabulary was imitated rather than copied by the skilled oriental craftsmen. Thus the harp of Ireland (which should occupy the lower left quarter of the royal arms) is here replaced by an oriental zither, while the crests of the Prince’s feathers are closer to chrysanthemums than to feathers.