Bamboo Fibre Fan

Oblong in shape, the surface of the fan conforms to the style of the Chinese antique fans that “square and circle should not be confined by rectangular ruler and compass.” With the delicate wooden shaft and the purple-black lacquered wooden handle and frame, the bone is made of bamboo filament. Clean and shiny like cicada wings, to protect the fan from corrosion, insects, and water, the surface with silk mounting is covered in permission lacquer and sits on the crescent-shaped supports. Closely arranged and interspersed, the finely made mane-style bamboo filaments go through the tiny perforations on both sides of the shaft, mimicking the shape of the double-edged fine-toothed comb used by the Chinese in ancient times, thus another name for this fan is “Qingbishan” (Green Comb Fan). As a quintessential representation of the roundel fans in the Song dynasty, the present piece manifests the excellence and selectivity in the craftsmanship and material. To the present times, this fan is among the five well-preserved fans of similar types of the Song dynasty, rare indeed.