Japanese Signed Two-Sided Hand Fan with Abstract Patterns asparagus candle ) sculpted in relief

) sculpted in relief

I love it just as an object (with a handy hole at the top for hanging)

with one small crack in the lacquer on one short side at the very bottom

Among my very favorite tiny animal in the Critical EYE collection is this wonderful Inuit hand-carved polar bear

— dates to sometime between 1900-1920

Japanese Signed Two-Sided Hand Fan with Abstract Patterns asparagus candle ) sculpted in reliefThis is just about the most beautiful little Japanese fan sensu that I can imagine! Constructed of what I believe is a woodblock print on paper and a bamboo structure, it is two sided, featuring a unique composition of different patterns on each side, perhaps inspired by kimono textile patterns, and executed in a wonderfully nuanced palette of purples, blues, pinks and ochres. These are punctuated with black Japanese characters, which I wish I could