Ukiwa fan

 Manico              cm. 16,5
 Altezza totale    cm. 37
 Ventarola           cm. 21 x 22

Japan 1900 -1910  

The double leaf in fine fabric (possibly silk is painted and apparently applied to a rigid and veined support like a "palm leaf".
On one side, there are two ostriches and some peonies and on the reverse, a swallow watching the branches of a peach tree. The wooden handle is crafted with a very slight raised relief, covered with gold leaf and with detailing in mother of pearl, carnelian and jade. However, this truly miniscule detailing is etched in a way that accurately reveals the subject depicted.
The fan profile is bordered by a satin ribbon which was added later.
Similar fans are indicated in Incontro con ventaglio, op cit. number 101. 

It is interesting that I've only just noticed these details, twenty-five years later.
"Details make perfection, and perfection is not a detail." Leonardo Da Vinci