This fan leaf is based on the painting by Guido Reni (1575-1642) of Bacchus and Ariadne, completed in 1640 as a result of a commission from Cardinal Barberini as a gift to Queen Henrietta Maria. After the dispersal of Charles I's collection, by the late 1640s the picture had passed into the possession of Particelli d'Hémery, an Italian financier, after whose death in 1650 it was cut up on orders from d'Hémery's widow, who considered it lascivious. Before its destruction, Reni's painting was engraved by his pupil Giovanni Bolognini. A large fragment of the original canvas, representing the seated figure of Ariadne (to left of centre on the leaf), has recently been identified in a private collection.

The scene depicted is the moment when Bacchus (in the centre, with blue drapery) discovers the distraught figure of Ariadne on the island of Naxos. He soon falls in love with her and proposes marriage. The painting on the verso depicts Ganymede transported to Mount Olympus by Jupiter, who had transformed himself into an eagle. It is based on the ceiling panel of Ganymede in the gallery of the Palazzo Farnese, Rome, painted by Annibale Carracci.

Although this fan is known to have belonged to Queen Alexandra, its earlier history is undocumented. It does not appear to have been owned by Queen Victoria.

Text adapted from Unfolding Pictures: Fans in the Royal Collection, 2005