Fan Handle

High-ranking men and women used fans with elaborately carved handles as symbols of status. The complete fan incorporates in its handle a working pipe intended for show rather than use. After European voyagers introduced it in the eighteenth century, tobacco quickly acquired a place In Marquesan culture.

• Medium: Wood
• Geographical Location: Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia
• Dates: late 18th century
• Dimensions: 14 3/4 x 1 3/4 x 5/8 in. (37.5 x 4.4 x 1.6 cm)
• Collection: Arts of the Pacific Islands
• Museum Location: Brooklyn Museum, BMA, 5H1, 13D
• Accession Number: 73.107.7
• Image: 73.107.7_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 0,

Catalogue Description:
Wooden fan handle. The handle of the fan consists of two pairs of anthropomorphic figures (tiki), one set on top of the other. Their eyes are enlarged. The area between the figures is also enlarged. The lips are defined by extended horizontal lines. On the top and the bottom of the figures sit two pairs of animal heads. Rising from the handle is a 10 5/8 inch strip of wood with incised horizontal lines. Condition: Good. The fan itself is missing.