One fan, ivory carved sticks. Centre panel painted silk showing landscape and figures with Charles & Robert balloon. Side panels show children with balloons. ht 28cm opening to 51cm

A ballooning scene painted onto a silk fan made with ivory carved sticks. The central panel shows a Charles and Robert balloon floating over a crowd of people. Jacques Charles, a French professor of physics, launched the first free ascent of an unmanned hydrogen-filled balloon on 27th August, 1783. Later, he and Robert became the first men to be carried aloft in a hydrogen balloon (in free flight) on 1st December, 1783. Public balloon ascents began to be held in pleasure gardens after the first successful balloon trips in Paris during 1783.