Open daily, 10am–5pm, Free

419 Great King Street Dunedin, New Zealand

Switch, Fly, D88.194

Physical Description

Simple fly whisk with dyed red leather handle with holding strap at one end and large bundle of long white animal hair (cow/horse?) extending from other end. Red leather handle appears to be wrapped around a core of some stiff material (wood?). It is sewn tightly against the solid core along its full length. At the top end a leather strap doubled over to form a loop is tightly bound by the ends being wrapped several times around the top end of the handle and then tacked with a wooden nail. At the base end of the handle the leather tightly encloses one end of the bundle of hair being secured with a leather strap running the cirumference of the handle and tucked into itself on the outside end. General appearance is of having received little use and in good condition.

Research Notes

Hair (cow/horse?) dyed leather (goat/sheep?), and string/thread (cotton?). Wood(?) as core of handle? Chief's symbol of authority. Also use as a crop when riding horses - though even then may be indicating that rider is of some rank.

Simple fly whisk with dyed red leather handle with holding strap at one end and large bundle of long white animal hair (cow/horse?) extending from other end. Red leather handle appears to be wrapped around a core of some stiff material (wood?). It is sewn tightly against the solid core along its full length. At the top end a leather strap doubled over to form a loop is tightly bound by the ends being wrapped several times around the top end of the handle and then tacked with a wooden nail. At the base end of the handle the leather tightly encloses one end of the bundle of hair being secured with a leather strap running the cirumference of the handle and tucked into itself on the outside end. General appearance is of having received little use and in good condition.

Length of whisk excluding holding strap = approx. 530mm. Length of holding strap (as doubled over) = approx. 133 mm. Length of leather handle = approx. 204 mm. —Joel A Vanderburg

Provenance

Donated by: Mrs Muriel Newnham
Locality:

Measurements

Maximum dimensions (H x W x D): 535 x 123 x 36mm

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