Wedding Fan
Unknown Artist
mid-1800s
Medium
Copper alloy; satin weave silk; silk and metal thread embroidery; and paper
Dimensions
diam. 25.6 cm
Classification
Miscellaneous
Department
Korean Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Director's Contingent Fund
Accession Number
1918.558
About this artwork
In the Joseon period, women between the ages of 14 and 20 were matched with a husband through an arranged marriage. Even during the marriage ceremony, a bride was supposed to veil her face with this type of embroidered fan as a gesture of chastity. The fan’s body is made of paper and silk trimmed with a gilded metal rim. On the front, four cranes—one pair in blue, the other in yellow—are stitched along with auspicious clouds. The back is adorned with dragons flying amid clouds. The metal band ve...