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Traditional Mallorcan object

Palm fans (ventall and ventador)

At a glance

The vendedor is the blow to fan the fire: "a rotllana d'espart or palm with a mànec" (DCVB, Balearic Islands). The houses made it for their own use with…

Objects and tools
Traditional Mallorcan object
Words
fermall, vendedor, ventilate
Events
1
I blow
I blow — Museum of Costume. Ethnological Heritage Research Centre, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/, Museum of Costume. Ethnological Heritage Research Centre (vía Europeana/CER.ES)

What is

The vendedor is the blow to fan the fire: "a rotllana d'espart or palm with a mànec" (DCVB, Balearic Islands). The houses made it for their own use with garballó palm. The window is the fan to give air to the person; In the palm trade, ventall is also the open leaf of the garballó, which is fan-shaped.

Correction to the order: what is documented in Mallorca is the seller of foc de palma. A hand fan (ventall) made of Mallorcan palm does not appear in the reviewed sources (to verify).

How is

  • Ventador: braided or sewn disc or palm paddle (or espart), with short handle (DCVB). Measurements and specific technique in Mallorca: check with artisans from Capdepera/Artà.
  • Ventall (leaf): palmatiform, divided into 12-15 segments folded lengthwise (BOIB 101/2026).
  • Ventall (fan): in general, a semicircle of flexible material supported by a handle or rods (DCVB).

How is fa

  • Ventador de foc: self-consumption work, made at home with the palm of the communal work (see work-of-palma-llata ).
  • Ventalls (open leaves) were used for barns or, once opened in brins, for fermalls (ties); today they are almost not collected (BOIB 101/2026).

Com s'usa

  • Shake in front of the mouth of the fire or brazier to ignite the charcoal or firewood.
  • With the transition from firewood to other fuels, the seller disappears from the houses (BOIB 101/2026).

Vocabulary

  • vendedor — blow for the fire (Bal.); also who winnows the grain.

-ventafocs / marguà — synonyms of vendedor (DCVB).

-ventall —fan; in the palm, the open leaf of the garballó.

-ventall (Mall., Men.) — also strong blow, blow (DCVB).

  • fermall — tie made with palm brins.
  • ventilate - give air; winnow.

History

  • 14th-15th centuries: palm objects documented in Artà (BOIB 101/2026).
  • 19th-20th centuries: the vendor is among the self-consumption objects of the palm houses (BOIB 101/2026).
  • Second half of the 20th century: it disappears with gas and electric cooking.
  • 2026: the BIC file of the palm work mentions it among the heritage objects (windows, barns, signs...).

On veure'n

Why is it design

  • Air tool: a flat disc and a handle multiply the blow.
  • Self-consumption: each house did it with the palm it had; zero cost.
  • Light and local material: garballó palm from the nearby mountain.
  • The name as a form: ventall is the sheet and the object; The plant already draws the fan.

For the project

  • Piece: contemporary window for barbecue or brazier in palm, with artisans from Capdepera; low-cost, high-identity product.
  • Research: ask the madones if they made hand fans and how.
  • Files: foganya-i-estris-del-foc , graneres , esca-i-encenall .

Frequently asked questions

What is Palm fans (ventall and ventador)?

The vendedor is the blow to fan the fire: "a rotllana d'espart or palm with a mànec" (DCVB, Balearic Islands). The houses made it for their own use with…

What are the traditional words for Palm fans (ventall and ventador)?

Some words: fermall, vendedor, ventilate.

Sources

Working text from the Disseny Indígena knowledge base, machine-translated from Spanish.

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