18th/19th century|The handle finely carved with a helical surface, set with horsehair, partly dyed red, with Japanese box and cover. 28.2cm (11 1/8in) long (3).|十八/十九世紀 黃花梨拂塵Provenance: Nagao Unzan (1864-1942) (inscription on Japanese wood box)來源： 長尾雨山 （1864-1942）先生舊藏 （木盒銘文）Although fly whisks did serve a practical purpose, they were also symbols of the literati's sagely other-worldliness, representing themselves as those who swept away the dust of the mundane world. See Art from the Scholars's Studio, Hong Kong, 1986, p.268.The calligraphy on the box was written by Nagao Unzan (1864-1942), a calligrapher and sinologist from Takamatsu, Kagawa prefecture, who lived in Kyoto.