The Ostrolúcky family's fan

Carved ivory components support the paper leaf of a fan that belonged to one of the women of the Ostrolúcky family. The paper forms a folding semicircle. Coloured scenes and gilded ornament decorate its surface, bringing decoration into the construction of an everyday object.

Before conservation, the ivory had darkened, the paper was torn, and some parts were broken or missing. The condition required the fan to be dismantled. Individual components were cleaned, missing material replaced and the fan reassembled, bringing surviving pieces and repairs together.

The treatments were designed to be reversible, and removed original material was retained for possible further study. The object also records the work of its conservators. Delicate paper and harder ribs required different treatments, although they form parts of the same folding mechanism. The join between the paper semicircle and its narrow supports reveals much about the construction.