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Curator Natalie Raw with a selection of some of the 400 antique fans cared for at Leeds Discovery Centre. Mostly dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, many of the fans’ elaborate designs portray scenes of love taken from Greek or Roman mythology, colourful birds or Far Eastern imagery and were once a must-have accompaniment to any lady’s outfit in high society.

Curator Natalie Raw with a selection of some of the 400 antique fans cared for at Leeds Discovery Centre. Mostly dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, many of the fans’ elaborate designs portray scenes of love taken from Greek or Roman mythology, colourful birds or Far Eastern imagery and were once a must-have accompaniment to any lady’s outfit in high society.

Curator Natalie Raw with a selection of some of the 400 antique fans cared for at Leeds Discovery Centre. Mostly dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, many of the fans’ elaborate designs portray scenes of love taken from Greek or Roman mythology, colourful birds or Far Eastern imagery and were once a must-have accompaniment to any lady’s outfit in high society.

A selection of some of the 400 antique fans cared for at Leeds Discovery Centre. Mostly dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, many of the fans’ elaborate designs portray scenes of love taken from Greek or Roman mythology, colourful birds or Far Eastern imagery and were once a must-have accompaniment to any lady’s outfit in high society.

A selection of some of the 400 antique fans cared for at Leeds Discovery Centre. Mostly dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, many of the fans’ elaborate designs portray scenes of love taken from Greek or Roman mythology, colourful birds or Far Eastern imagery and were once a must-have accompaniment to any lady’s outfit in high society.

Curator Natalie Raw holds a stunning 350-year-old fan depicting a legendary scene from the Trojan War which is being conserved at Leeds Discovery Centre. Crafted in around the 1680s, the beautiful folding hand fan, complete with sticks carved from antique ivory, captures The Judgement of Paris, a fateful mythical moment which saw the Trojan prince choose which of three ancient goddesses- Hera, Athena, or Aphrodite- was the most beautiful.

Curator Natalie Raw holds a stunning 350-year-old fan depicting a legendary scene from the Trojan War which is being conserved at Leeds Discovery Centre. Crafted in around the 1680s, the beautiful folding hand fan, complete with sticks carved from antique ivory, captures The Judgement of Paris, a fateful mythical moment which saw the Trojan prince choose which of three ancient goddesses- Hera, Athena, or Aphrodite- was the most beautiful.

Curator Natalie Raw holds a stunning 350-year-old fan depicting a legendary scene from the Trojan War which is being conserved at Leeds Discovery Centre. Crafted in around the 1680s, the beautiful folding hand fan, complete with sticks carved from antique ivory, captures The Judgement of Paris, a fateful mythical moment which saw the Trojan prince choose which of three ancient goddesses- Hera, Athena, or Aphrodite- was the most beautiful.

Curator Natalie Raw holds a stunning 350-year-old fan depicting a legendary scene from the Trojan War which is being conserved at Leeds Discovery Centre. Crafted in around the 1680s, the beautiful folding hand fan, complete with sticks carved from antique ivory, captures The Judgement of Paris, a fateful mythical moment which saw the Trojan prince choose which of three ancient goddesses- Hera, Athena, or Aphrodite- was the most beautiful.

Curator Natalie Raw holds a stunning 350-year-old fan depicting a legendary scene from the Trojan War which is being conserved at Leeds Discovery Centre. Crafted in around the 1680s, the beautiful folding hand fan, complete with sticks carved from antique ivory, captures The Judgement of Paris, a fateful mythical moment which saw the Trojan prince choose which of three ancient goddesses- Hera, Athena, or Aphrodite- was the most beautiful.

The magnificent fans are among more than 400 cared for at Leeds Discovery Centre, where the precious collection is being carefully catalogued and conserved by curators. Mostly dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, many of the fans’ elaborate designs portray scenes of love taken from Greek or Roman mythology, colourful birds or Far Eastern imagery and were once a must-have accompaniment to any lady’s outfit in high society.