The Fitzwilliam Museum : Gallery

[Back to results screen]

This full record display is using an old version of our collections database until it has been reconfigured to work with our new Collections Explorer.
In the meantime, if the record has been edited recently, the version you see here may contain out of date information. To be sure of finding the most up-to-date records please run the search again in Collections Explorer. This is a temporary measure, in place only whilst the new system is being developed, and we apologise for any inconvenience. If you have any questions about the data in this record please contact the Documentation Office

The "Seventh Plague of Egypt" Fan

	Click on image(s) for larger view
Title/s	The "Seventh Plague of Egypt" Fan
Maker/s	Unknown (maker)
Collection	Messel-Rosse Collection
Category	fans
Name	folding fan
Description	Double leaf of paper backed with chickenskin ?, painted in bodycolour and gilt. Gold paper binding on upper edge. Sticks and guards of shaped, pierced and engraved/etched mother-of-pearl (15+ 2). Steel rivet with mother-of-pearl washers. Front: The Seventh Plague of Egypt after the painting of 1823 by John Martin (1789-1854). To right and left, wide borders of gilt flowers and foliage, extending in narrower sprays to meet in the middle of the lower edge. At the top there is a central border of fringes flanked by stylized leaves. Reverse: In the middle, painted in colours, a Nile landscape with temples and a camel, flanked by floral sprays in gold, black and red. Left, upper and right borders of stylized foliage with a flower in the upper corners, painted in gold. Sticks: Pierced with a man and woman flanked by plants and vases of flowers on trellises
Production Place	Spain (maker) (country) () France, (maker) (country) () Spanish (maker) (nationality) () French (maker) (nationality) ()
Technique Description	Double leaf of paper backed with chickenskin ?, painted in bodycolour and gilt. Gold paper binding on upper edge. Sticks and guards of shaped, pierced and engraved/etched mother-of-pearl (15+ 2). Steel rivet with mother-of-pearl washers.
Dimensions	length: (guards): 21.8 cm width:
Period	2nd quarter 19th century
Date	circa 1830 to 1835
Provenance	bought: Anne, Countess of Rosse 1985-01-28 (Filtered for: Applied Arts collection) Colonel Leonard C. Messel (1872-1953); his daughter Anne, Countess of Rosse (1902-1992) Purchased with a grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and a gift from The Friends of the Fitzwilliam Museum
Documentation	Feaver, William (1970) The Art of John Martin, Oxford [page: 66] [comments: The design on the front is after 'The Seventh Plage of Egypt', oil on canvas, 1823, by John Martin (1789-1854), p. 66, fig. 42. The subject is taken from Exodus, 9.23: 'And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven and the Lord sent thunder and hail and the fire ran along upon the ground, and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt.' The painting was sold to J.G. Lampton, later Earl of Durham, for 500 guineas. It is now in the Boston Museum of Fine Art.] (1835) Illustrations of the Bible, [comments: Ref: Martin did not make an independent engraving, but produced it as No. 11 in 'Illustrations of the Bible'.]
Other Notes	The design on the front is after The Seventh Plague of Egypt, oil on canvas, 1823, by John Martin (1789–1854)
Accession Number	M.259-1985 (Applied Arts) (Reference Number: 117844; Input Date: 2004-12-07 / Last Edit: 2011-07-22)

Related Image/s

[back to top]

The "Seventh Plague of Egypt" Fan