How Does a Conservator Help Tell an Object’s Story? Unveiling the Beauty of European Fans

For the first time in decades, precious metals sparkle and mother-of-pearl gleams on the fans in the Taft Museum of Art’s collection. In preparation for the exhibition Unfolding Elegance: European Fans from the Taft Collection, objects conservator Betsy Allaire spent over a year documenting, researching, and treating the Taft’s nine European painted fans. She notes, “Conserving them is so important for the ongoing appreciation of these beautiful pieces of functional art.” She devoted countless hours addressing areas of loss, reducing surface grime, and tending to new and old repairs—all with the patience of a saint and the steady hand of a surgeon. Thanks to Allaire, the museum has a better understanding of what these works looked like when they were first made around 300 years ago.

What did the Taft learn during this long overdue project? Fans are complicated objects! Multiple artisans—specializing in fields ranging from painting to goldsmithing—created each fan, often utilizing complex techniques that are no longer practiced. They worked with a wide variety of materials, including ivory, tortoiseshell, mother-of pearl, gold, silver, parchment, paper, and silk—all of which age and behave in their own way. Discover how four of the fans have been conserved:

Fan with the Judgment of Paris 

On the reverse of the fan depicting the Judgment of Paris, Allaire found a small bird that had been partially covered with parchment during a previous repair. To reveal its original shape, color, and style, she humidified and lifted the parchment, allowing her to see the entire bird. Allaire then used specialized watercolors to restore the image, helping to suggest the original rendering of this delicate bird in flight.

Fan with Pomona, Goddess of Orchards and Gardens 

Once bright and shiny, the gold and silver foil on this fan had lost its luster. Over time, the silver foil—which is more reactive than the gold—tarnished, or darkened. Tarnish forms on silver when the metal reacts with sulfur particles in the air. This layer of silver sulfide reduced the splendor of the precious material, changing the way we perceive it. To reveal the gleaming surfaces on this fan, Allaire removed the tarnish using specialized materials and solvents, bringing it closer to its original appearance.

Fan with Figures in an Idyllic Landscape 

On this fan, Allaire found an old repair made with heavy linen. Once flexible, it had stiffened, preventing the fan from opening all the way. The linen had been attached between thin layers of parchment on the front and paper on the reverse. Solving the problem of how to fully open the fan meant that Allaire had to split the layers to remove the linen. She then recreated the painted surfaces using specialized pigments to fill in losses to the pattern.

Fan with the Abduction of Helen 

Only silk ribbon holds the uppermost part of this fan together. In the 18th century, when this fan was made, decorative silk was treated with metallic salts to make it shimmer. This weakened the fabric, causing it to “shatter” over time. To repair and stabilize the fan, Allaire used reversible adhesive and silk crepeline, an undyed and untreated silk. It is strong yet thin, holding the fan together while allowing the colorful painted decoration to remain visible.