Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-30
THE FAN.
An Early and Necessary Instrument
of Mankind.

From the Saturday Review.
/ The fan, to modern Europe a woman S
dainty weapon, an instrument Of CO.
quetry, is d thing Of high lineage and
august descent. Like SO many OF our
priced possessions, 1t was adopted from
the east. 1t comes from lands of heat
and sunshine. There in remote ages we
lind it not as the futtering symbol of
lively heartbeats, accenting quick turns
Of feeling or interpreting "ha shes of 81
lence" with mute wit. but as the o.emn
appanage Of power or sacred TO priestly
usage.
1t was the instrument, on the one hand,
of the winnower; on the other, CT these
whose Office II was to keep glowing the
life of fire. We do not wonder. therefore,
that like other things It lighter func-
ton it passed, into the ritual Of religion,
was indispensable to the Dionysia and
was borne by the vestal virgins. Later
it served in Christian ceremonial. But
.. this was not of course the folding fan of
modern use: it was often of great size
and rigid. with pole for hanale. sway
ed slowly and in majestic rhythms. The
gorgeous plumes of the peacock, vener-
ated as a sacred bird. with their hundred
eyes, the emblem of kirgly vigilance. ap-
propriately enriched the fans sgnIfi-
canoe. Again, from its function of max
ing cool air. In the hands of slaves,
about great personages, it became init
mateiy associated with that other en-
blem Of royalty and distinction, the UNI
brela, itself perhaps the origin of the
symbolic halo.
The story of the fan belongs, i; will be
seen, much as sword, or ploughsHare
to the vital history of man. and leads US
back into many bypath OF human ira
dition. besides being fertile in association
with art
1t is to Japan, apparently, that we owe
the invention of the folding fan, though
tic palmetto leaf gives natural sug-
gestion of it, Almost everything in the
arts of Japan is borrowing from China,
but in this case it was China which bor-
rowed from Japan. Ii seems natural that
the invention should come fro m the MINI
! BILE witted Japanese, with their genius for
the light and dainty: but even with them
! it has it's poetry, being regarded with Its
radiating sticks as Smybol OF expanding
life. Nor must one forget the iron b1ttle
fans which figure in so many prints and
pictures Of the heroic struggles of the
middle ages When the great Taira clan
was driven to its last desperate stand on
the seacoast, one of these fans, black,
with a red sun for center was fixed on
the masthead of boat in which beau
tiful woman reclined. an arrogant
challenge to the enemys archery. The
feat of the warrior who rode into the sea
and drawing his bow shot away the riVet
which held the iron sticks together Is
a faVOrlte theme TOR drtlStS.
Southern Europe. like other sunny eli
mates, preserves primitive and popular
forms CT the fan, flag shaped or circular.
in plated straw, such as Italian CT Pcrtu-
guese peasants use for tanning charcoal
tires Feathers. too. have been used in
all countries But the history Of the fan
as we know it. the folding fan. capable
of so many re tinements of craftsmanship.
the Joint handwork perhaps OF a score
Of different craftsmen, and carrying some
times delicate masterpieces Of the paint
er's brush-the history CT this centers, as
we might exrect. in France. If Vatican
did not paint fans he ought to have -"oint-
ed them. He may have dcne s., but there
seems to be no authentic specimen from
his hand. Lancret, Boucher. FTagonard-
it seems incredible that these. too should
not have seized upon 81 apt and c"ngeniai
a form for their decorative art. But
Though the spirit of these masters is re-
fiected on the fan paintings Of this period.
we can point to no classic EXAMPLES as
rivals to these other classics OF the far
: east, the mounts adorned by the fiery
brush OF korin. the exquisite calligraphy
Of Koyetsu. the genial design Il H"kusai.
For similar creations of the actual brush
of a Fragonard or Vatican would we not
sacrifice even the sentimental associa-
lions that perfume fans once owned by
La Valliere or Marie Antoinette?