This is a UNIQUE, One-Of-A-Kind, ANTIQUE, Hand Crafted "Argentinian Outdoor Fountain Mountains Design Floral Tree Flowers Pattern Heavy Damask Silk Cloth Wood Slats Hand Fan" handmade in Argentina in the late-1880s.  My friend's Great-Grandparents immigrated to Argentina from Europe in 1884 and lived there until they immigrated to the United States in 1909.  This STUNNING, organically beautiful Fan came to the United States with them.  Years later she told her daughter (my friend's grandmother) that her husband carved the slats from local hard wood with a HANDSOME grain and she hand painted the rural Argentinian mountain scene on the heavy damask silk cloth; her husband learned to carve wood in his native Germany from his father.  This Hand Fan is UNIQUE and One-Of-A-Kind with a simple design and wonderful wood work that has created a UNIQUE piece of Folk Art.  Hand down from mother to daughter, it was packed away in the mid-1980s when my friend received it from her mother, it is recently rediscovered; it has been safely and securely stored for almost 30 years.  My friend has no children and is getting ready to move to a retirement community so she MUST downsize - her LOSS is your GAIN!  In EXCELLENT Condition with minor, age appropriate wear and NO structural damage, it comes from a smoke-free, pet-free home. Closed, it measures approximately 14 inches tall, approximately 1 3/4 inches wide and approximately 1 inch deep; it has an open span of approximately 30 inches.  



Combining VIVID Green, Red, Golden Yellow, Black, Blue, Pink, Brown and White colors, my friends Great-Grandmother fused imagination with artistic ability and local scenery to create a personal accessory with an EXQUISITE style and decorative ELEGANCE and GRACE.  With a delicate, hand-painted scene of rural Argentina, the design is highly detailed with a stone fountain with water coming out of the spigot, trees and flowers in the foreground and mountains in the background.  The 14 inner slats and the 2 end slats were carved from a single piece of hardwood and the detailed graining spreads across the handle with natural ripples, swirls and rings.  Light-weight and easy to hold open, this LARGE Fan is FUN to use or display; it has a built in metal pivot, making it easy to hold or hang closed when not using.  EXOTIC, CUTE and CLASSIC, it is WONDERFUL for adding a touch of antique South American style to any outfit or room.  This EXQUISITELY handcrafted Fan showcases the Andean art of both wood working and painting combining artistry with an innovative design.  This Hand Fan speaks of tradition yet is modern, creating a harmony between the past and the present.  Evoking the richness of nature, this is an AMAZING, EARTHY, ETHNIC, ECLECTIC Hand Fan.   An unusual and striking accessory, it is an EXTREMELY ATTRACTIVE, WONDERFUL AND WHIMSICAL piece.