Fan in the Eastern and Western Church and in the culture of the world

Jolanta Wasilewska

Abstract

The history of a fan – an object that could be seen as exquisite (or even superfluous) – is extremely rich and interesting from the point of view of customs, history and art history. It is amazing how this small object of everyday use, currently considered to be women’s fashion utensils, has had multiple and important functions for millennia.

Since the earliest times, fans have been used for cooling, stripping insects, sun protection or setting fire. In ancient Egypt the fans were used by pharaohs and priests as attributes of power and grandeur. Until the 1950s, two fans (flabella) were used in the Western Church as an honorary distinction in processions during which the Pope was carried on shoulders on the gestatorial chair (sedia gestatoria). In the liturgy of the Eastern Church the use of fans (ripidia) has survived to our times, although their significance has already become entirely symbolic.

Battle fans come from the Far East, where they served primarily as a sign of officer rank, but also as a weapon. They were used from the 6th to the 16th century, when they reached the peak of popularity.

The fans arrived in Europe along with expeditions to the Far East. The golden times of fans came in the 17th and 18th centuries. They ruled in upper-class salons and royal courts throughout Europe. They have become a symbol of prosperity, refinement and coquetry regardless of the time of year. The fan has become the attribute of a lady. Folding fans have gained the most popularity.

The fans were made of wood, precious metals, ivory, tortoiseshell, leather, parchment, silk, linen, paper, feathers, and also leaves. They were carved, painted, embroidered and decorated with jewels. They took different forms depending on the application and needs. They were small and large, straight, folded, pleated, round, semicircular, in the shape of a leaf or a streamer, on a long or short handle.