Lady from Spain with a Hand-Held Fan...OLE! Like always, look what I found about the FAN-HELD FANS. A hand-held fan is an implement used to induce an airflow for the purpose of cooling or refreshing oneself. Any broad, flat surface waved back-and-forth will create a small airflow and therefore can be considered a rudimentary fan. But generally, purpose-made hand-held fans are shaped like a circle segment made of a thin material (such as paper or feathers) mounted to slats which revolve around a pivot so that it can be closed when not in use. The painting was made in a Strathmore Watercolor Paper, 140 lb. Cold press.