Monday, July 2, 2012

Gifts of Grandeur: Queen Mary's Coronation Fan, 1911

Queen Mary's Coronation Fan
Honiton, England, 1911
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II



This lovely fan with its cream cotton lace leaf, and plain blond tortoiseshell guards and sticks was made for the 1911 Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary. The front guard of the fan has been applied with the gold monogram “MR” (Mary Regina) surmounted by a crown. The fan ends in a gold pin with diamond heads and a gold loop.

The fan was presented by the Worshipful Company of Fan Makers to Queen Mary on the day of the Coronation: June 22, 1911. The lace for the fan was made in Honiton and features a design with four shields of arms and a decorative border containing the rose, thistle and shamrock. It was a favorite of Queen Mary. Records from the Royal Collection show that the fan was frequently “in use,” notably when Queen Mary took the fan to India for use during the Durbar celebrations.

A similar fan was made in 1937 for Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) on the occasion of the coronation she shared with her husband, King George VI. The 1937 fan was said to have been made by the children of those who made the fan for Queen Mary in 1911. 




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