Portraits: A Fine Mid-18th Century Ivory Fan with elaborately shaped monture, designed to coordinate with the design on the leaf. The guards feature cherubs to the tips, the upper guard then painted with the portrait of a wealthy gentleman wearing a powdered wig. The lower guard is painted with a lady in tall bonnet tied under the chin. Three portraits are visible, two to the recto, one to the verso. The gorge sticks alternate between straight sticks, gilded, and others shaped to accommodate colour portraits, cherubs, birds, and urns, some highly gilded. The two central portraits face each other in profile, exchanging a tender gaze, the gentleman to the left in green velvet and powdered wig, the lady to the right in pink gown and white bonnet tied with a pink ribbon. Quite a bulbous head. The double leaf, in silk, is vibrantly painted, featuring five oval vignettes, bordered with gold sequins, two containing musicians, three with dancers. Two ladies in pink are dancing. One gentleman, seated, plays the violin. A younger man performs with a tambourine and the last gentleman, in blue to the left, appears to be dancing. Each painted panel is divided from the others with a formal column, the design in silver metal and sequins, bordered with strong gold. Elsewhere, the leaf is painted with extravagant drapes, tokens of love and flowers. Light decoration to the verso, following some of the design from the recto, in orange, with painted pink roses. Guard length approx. 10.5 inches or 26.5cm.