The rare 19th century Qing Mandarin fan featured a gilded filigree metal and enamelled telescopic monture, with applied silver metal dragons to the guards. More evidence of its high status was the coloured silk robes and painted and applied ivory faces of the people depicted on the double-paper leaf.
Estimated at £1500-2500 at the October 11 sale at Leyburn, the fan sold at £5000 (the museum buyer has not been disclosed).
Ho-ho appeal is no joke
Japanese painted wood fan – £6000 at Martel Maides.
A painted wooden fan offered in Martel Maides’ (17.5% buyer’s premium) auction in St Peter Port, Guernsey, on October 16 was a bigger surprise.
Catalogued as Edo, it was painted with two ho-ho birds in a tree and had gilt borders and gilt metal butterfly and bird mounts to the guards.
Condition, however, left a lot to be desired, hence the £40-60 estimate.
The cord linking the two sticks was detached, old glue repairs had come unstuck, there were splits and chips to the wood and some flaking to the paint.
Nevertheless, it was hotly pursued online and in the room and sold to a UK collector at £6000.
