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African and Oceanic Art from the Barbier-Mueller Museum, Geneva: A Legacy of Collecting
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Fan Handle
Cook Islands, Rarotonga, late 18th–early 19th century
Wood; H: 4 3/4 in. (12.5 cm)
Provenance: James Keggie, London, before 1951; James Hooper, England, 1951-1979; [Christie's, London, 1979]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1979
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With a rich, smooth patina imparted by years of use, this exquisite figure from Rarotonga in the Cook Islands originally formed part of the handle of a fan. In its original form, the figure stood atop a shaft, a small portion of which remains at the base, that was about eight inches (20 cm) long and to which was attached a triangular fan blade made from plaited coconut leaves. Fans with such ornately carved handles were not mundane items but rather ceremonial objects carried exclusively by high-ranking chiefs as symbols of their exalted status. The figure likely represents a deity or deified ancestor, and the fan, like its noble owner, would have had substantial mana (supernatural power) that was potentially dangerous to lower-ranking individuals. The imposing mana of fan handles in the Cook Islands is evident in the fact that they were, at times, converted directly into deity images by removing the fan blade and binding the shaft with sacred bark cloth and feathers.
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