Siege of Stirling fan
Reproduction
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Object number20720
TitleSiege of Stirling fan
DescriptionThe Siege of Stirling fan is a truly rare and beautiful object from a key moment in Stirling’s history. It is a piece of anti-Jacobite propaganda, made for a lady to show her loyalty to the Crown when the Duke of Cumberland was handed the Freedom of the town in April 1746 - no rebels here Your Majesty!
It unfolds to tell the tale of the retreat of the Jacobite army on 1st February 1746, pushed ever further north by government troops under the leadership of the Duke. A retreat that would lead Bonnie Prince Charlie and his supporters to defeat at Culloden. Centre stage is Cumberland himself, accepting the surrender of Prince Charles Edward Stuart – a moment of pure fantasy. In reality the two met at the battle on Drumossie Moor which decided the fate of the Bonnie Prince and ultimately the Jacobite cause.
The leaf of the fan is made from paper mounted on wooden laburnum sticks. The finely detailed print was coloured by hand and even after more than two hundred and fifty years the softer shades of the landscape and the tartans of the fleeing Jacobites are dominated by the strong colours of the government’s red-coated troops.
Look closely and you will see recognisable Stirling landmarks, from the castle perched on its hill to the church of St Ninian and the winding loops of the River Forth. St Ninian’s Church was used by the Jacobites during their occupation of Stirling to store their ammunition – it catastrophically blew up with the loss of nine lives but the tower survived and can still be seen today.
DescriptionSiege of Stirling Fan, April 1746
Purchased with a gift from a Friend of the Smith and a 50% grant from the National Fund for Acquisitions.
The fan is a hand-coloured print, supported on 19 laburnam sticks showing the events of 1 February 1746 when the Jacobites retreated from Stirling. St Ninian’s Church, which they had used as a gunpowder store, was blown up and nine people killed. The Jacobites fled across the Fords of Frew, taking booty from Stirling. The scene of the surrender shown did not take place. The Jacobites were defeated at the Battle of Culloden, 16 April 1746. The victorious Duke of Cumberland was given the Freedom of Stirling, and this fan would have been one of many, made for the occasion.
Stirling had to show loyalty to the Hanoverians, after having surrendered the town so quickly to Prince Charles Edward Stuart in January 1746.
see Notes Tab also
Production date 1746 - 1746
Object nameFan
TechniqueHand coloured
Dimensions
sticks Length: 275 mm
paper fan Width: 430 mm
paper fan Width: 430 mm