Folding Fan

Item number N3.56 from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

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Data
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Description

A closing fan made of twenty-eight smooth flat ribs of split bamboo narrowing where they are attached to the fan of yellow brown oiled paper. A curvilinear design is burned on the base of each side of each rib. End pieces of the fan are strips of bamboo with the nodes prominent and a design burned on of dots and curvilinear motifs. Handle of the fan is of black wood fastened by a metal rivet with a small ring on one side.

History Of Use

Folding fans were used by members of the official “Yangban” class, and sometimes by women of other classes. Korean folding fans were very well-made, and were exported to China and Japan during the Koryo and Chosun Periods. Some had a large number of fine ribs.

Iconographic Meaning

The light coloured oiled paper indicates that this fan was used by a male scholar.

Item History

Made in Korea before 1935
Collected between 1899 and 1939
Owned by Marion Stephan before August 1964
Received from Marion Stephan (Donor) during August 1964

What

Name: Folding Fan
Identification Number: N3.56
Type of Item: fan
Material: paper, bamboo grass, metal, bean oil and paste adhesive
Manufacturing Technique: cut, split, burned, smoothed, oiled, pasted and riveted
Overall: height 30.0 cm, width 49.5 cm, depth 3.7 cm