Antique Chinese Fan of the Thousand Faces, Hand Carved and Decorated. 19th Century

Delicate Chinese fan from 19th century, which belongs to the kind known as Thousand Faces. The ribs (central and exterior) are made of sandal wood, carefully carved, depicting human figures and floral motives making up different scenes. The paper is painted by hand and both side show local customs scenes. This beautiful fan has a lovely detail: the faces of the many characters painted on the paper are made of ivory plates, precisely cut and hand-painted with a one-hair brush. The features are designed with thin lines that make up eyes and mouths in black and red. They show very vivid and real expressions, incredible animated and happy. Also, the colors are bright and deep, and the technique is as artistic as precise. The fan keeps also a beautiful pink and golden silk tassel, with two glass beads and two wooden rings, which hangs from the handle. A lovely detail for this fan, which on the other hand is in very good condition. Definitely this is a fine Oriental handcrafted object, which will shine like no other in a showcase with the best antiques. Fan measurements (open): 430 mm width x 240 mm high.