Folding Fan

Fan, folding paper leaf handpainted on both sides, the obverse with a scene in ink and wash featuring two geisha and a small boy in a small open boat. The details of these figures highlighted in red, yellow, blue, black and white, the reverse with a simple brushwork design of two flying cranes and areas of spatterwork. Six varnished bamboo sticks flanked by wider, flat, varnished bamboo guards with open work detail, black caps on both sides of the rivet. A small paper label tied to the head of the fan, one side with Japanese characters printed in red, the reverse with indistinct markings in faded ink, unknown maker, Japan, 1800-1880