Fans have a long history in the decorative arts in Spain. This book concentrates on the infinite variety of materials used to make fans, both the importation of those materials and their handling. Some fans were grand and gem-encrusted emblems of authority; others were mass-produced paper trifles with political advertisements on them. Spanish-dominated Central and South American countries provided brilliantly colored fans made from iridescent feather-mosaics, yet, just as important in their own time, were classical paintings on fans of vellum or "chicken-skin”. Spain's history, trading exploits, and crafting of expensive and unusual materials to make fans, together with her religious, social and sartorial habits, are combined in this comprehensive and highly illustrated book, which includes collector's information about fan associations.