Polynesia, Samoa Islands, ca. 19th century CE. A remarkably well-preserved fan, also sometimes known as an eventail, the French word for fan (due to French colonial ventures in Polynesia). The center of the fan is comprised of tapa, a bark cloth made using a painstaking process throughout Polynesia. The tapa is wrapped around a wooden frame that features an opening for a hand hold as well as three hoops that radiate outward in concentric circles from the center, forming a framework for the tapa and a place to attach the fiber. The tapa is painted with attractive red dots and green leaves that accentuate its natural creamy brown color. The handhold has a small piece of trade cotton dyed bright red affixed to it. Radiating outward from the edges of the tapa are dramatic fibers of different lengths, each painstakingly wrapped around the outermost hoop to secure it in place. Size: 19" W x 14" H (48.3 cm x 35.6 cm); 17" H (43.2 cm) on included custom stand.

Samoan people, like people everywhere, wore and displayed beautifully made objects, clothing, and jewelry to demonstrate their social status. Men and women carried flywhisks, feathered standards, and fans like this one.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA collection

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#184648

Wear on surface commensurate with age including some loss to pigment, tiny losses to peripheries, and fading to colors. However, overall it is in excellent condition.