Bamboo Fan — The Round Breeze of Summer

Summer heat has arrived on schedule, so from our summer objects we bring out the wind itself — a bamboo danseon, a round fan of fine ribs spread in a circle.

From the bamboo handle, thin ribs radiate like rays of light, pressed into a round plane. Through dozens of summers of fanning, the edge has frayed and a few ribs have gone missing — but we think the fraying is this fan’s true pattern. A résumé of breezes, if you like.

These days we recommend hanging it rather than waving it. On a white wall the radial rhythm of the ribs becomes pure graphic, and the dry bamboo lends a room its cool. On a day worn out by air conditioning, standing before this fan somehow cools the mind first.

Related Objects in Museum Collections

A few related objects found on Korea’s e-Museum by searching for “부채”. Comparing their forms is a quiet pleasure.

Reference images: e-Museum (emuseum.go.kr), National Museum of Korea — the holding institution is noted in each caption. Click an image to open the museum record.

The breeze it made passed long ago; the shape of the breeze stayed on the wall.