The Japanese fan has accompanied and reflected Japanese life and culture for over a thousand years. It is an art from which as attracted the finest artists and craftsmen, and examples take their legitimate place amongst the national treasures of Japan. Adapted for the Western market, it had attracted mass appeal by the end of the 19th century. Ushered in through the medium of the great International Exhibitions and by courtesy of Messrs Liberty and Tiffany, the West became aware of a novelty - a new art from with a level of craftsmanship in decoration, carving, Shibayama-type inlay and lacquerwork rarely seen before. Today, these export fan take their legitimate place in the history of Japanese fan and are in increasing demand by collectors.
A comprehensive and authoritative account of the history of the Japanese fan, for both the Japanese and the Western market, has long been awaited and has only now been achieved through the collaboration of two experts in the field. Julia Hutt, a distinguished historian of Japanese art, draws on recent research to a set of fan in artistic and historical context. Helene Alexander, founding Director of the Fan Museum, Greenwich, England, provides guidance on types and techniques of fans still occasionally to be found in the art market, or current versions of the traditional fan available in Japan today, in a fully illustrated and annotated catalogue of the recent loan exhibition, Fans of the Four Seasons.
The 200 plus full color photographs carefully selected from collections worldwide include works by Korin and Sotatsu as well as Ukiyo-e prints by Buncho, Shunsho, Hiroshige, Kuniyoshi and Kunisada, together with details focusing on the fine lacquer and inlay. This is an anthology of the best and most representative Japanese fans and an essential in the libraries of art historians, collectors and all interested in the Japanese way of life.
