Vintage Japanese Hand-Painted Silk and Bamboo Folding Fan

This is a small, vintage folding hand fan, likely of Japanese origin, featuring a combination of natural bamboo and silk materials. The fan consists of a series of polished bamboo sticks that form the structural guard and ribs, held together at the pivot point by a metal rivet and a small decorative bamboo loop. The leaf of the fan is made of a semi-translucent, cream-colored silk fabric that exhibits a subtle vertical ribbing or texture. It is adorned with hand-painted floral motifs; on the left, there is a prominent pink lotus or peony with green leaves, and on the right, smaller blue and white blossoms with yellow accents. The painting style is soft and impressionistic, consistent with mid-20th-century souvenir or decorative fans. The condition of the object reveals significant wear and tear: the top edge of the silk leaf is heavily frayed and jagged across multiple pleats, especially on the left side. There are visible creases, minor staining on the fabric, and the bamboo shows a natural aged patina with slight discoloration. No makers' marks or signatures are immediately visible on the outer guards. This fan likely dates to the mid-1900s and serves as a delicate example of functional folk art, though its value is impacted by the physical deterioration of the silk header.