Ivory fretwork fan with painted scenes: 18th century

Ivory fretwork fan with painted scenes. Fans like this one were made in China from the mid 17th century for export to the West. They first entered Europe through Holland. The sections of the fan are joined together with ribbons. Experts can tell that this fan was made in China and is not a European copy because the ribbon has been carefully threaded through the slots. The struts are decorated with intricately carved fretwork designs. The painted scenes feature a Chinese landscape including willow trees and pagodas.