Collections: Arts of Africa and the Pacific Islands: Fan Handle

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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
• Place Made: 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)
• Collections: Arts of Africa and the Pacific Islands
• Museum Location: This item is on view in The Arts of the Pacific, 1st Floor
• Accession Number: 73.107.7
• Credit Line: Gift of Marcia and John Friede
• Image: Overall, 73.107.7_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
Fan Handle, late 18th century. Wood, 14 3/4 x 1 3/4 x 5/8 in. (37.5 x 4.4 x 1.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 73.107.7 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 73.107.7_SL1.jpg)
• 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.