A RARE CARVED BOXWOOD FAN HANDLE AND PAINTED SILK FAN

LATE 19TH-EARLY 20TH CENTURY

Details

A RARE CARVED BOXWOOD FAN HANDLE AND PAINTED SILK FAN
LATE 19TH-EARLY 20TH CENTURY
The handle is very finely carved on one side with two peaches borne on gnarled, leafy branches, and on the other side with two magnolia blossoms. The handle is signed Zhou Yi zuo. The circular, softwood frame is inset with a silk painting depicting a dragonfly amidst lotus.
16 ¾ in. (42.5 cm.) long overall

Provenance

Property from the Lai Family Collection.

Lot Essay

Zhou Yi (1861-1911) was an artist specialized in boxwood, zitan and ivory carving, especially fan handles.

Compare a boxwood fan handle of comparable size (16 cm.) from the Chengxuntang Foundation carved as a prunus branch, bearing the mark of Zhou Yi, included in the Min Chiu Society Thirtieth Anniversary Exhibition, Selected Treasures of Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 1990, no. 256. Compare, also, a larger unsigned boxwood fan handle (23.8 cm.) carved as a grape vine sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 1 Jun 2011, lot 3871.

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