Antique Art Nouveau fan eventail pierced vellum hp eagle hearts horn frame (3500)

Antique Art Nouveau fan eventail. Vellum, red and black ink, horn. Made in Java / Dutch Indonesia and probably over 130 years old.  

Measurements:

Total length is 12 inches. 

Description:

Antique vellum fan with pierced carvings, painted bird and wonderful Nouveau whiplash frame.  

  The fan is of the handscreen variety, with a rounded  shape. It is made of buffalo hide vellum held in a frame of horn. The handle is carved horn - glowing yellow waves, carved with negative shapes one above the other. Where they reach the vellum, fan , they branch outwards, narrowing in a whiplash pattern that is the epitomy of Art Nouveau design. Identical on front and back, these forks form two elaborately swirling guards, tapering towards the ends on either side.  Holding the vellum fan near the bottom, the sides that reach more than halfway up the fan, are not attached as they rise.  The fan is composed of an extremely thin slick of vellum. An outer ring of hearts at the end of radiating feathers with an inner ring of hearts forming an arc around the centre. The feathers are minisculy cut to show the details. Hearts are outlined in black ink. In the center, on a scrolling ground, with tiny piercings, stands a bird of prey - eagle or vulture with huge wings in black and red legs, talons and beak. The body with drawn detail in black. 
The tiny piercings are amazing in their regularity and show the technical skill of the craftsman who made the fan.

Condition:

amazingly, the fan is not torn anywhere. The paint on the bird is slightly worn. Simple cotton thread that holds the horn to the vellum has come loose in a few parts. The narrow ends of the horn end abruptly, hinting that they may have continued further and lost their edges.