It's a type of Chinese brush used for art and calligraphy - sumi-e brushes are very collectible.

Well, the mystery deepens! I can't imagine why she would have a sumi-e brush. I love that art style, but she has none in her home, and I've never noticed anything else Asian there.

I think she had this hanging on a narrow bit of wall. I'll probably do the same instead of dusting my chandelier with it. That was a close call!

Thanks, dlm!

Try Google images for Chinese Calligraphy Brush and see what shows up.

The "beads" on the handle are more of a Chinese thing.

Well, I could certainly be wrong - wouldn't be the first time! I have a friend who collects antique/vintage Chinese and Japanese brushes and it looks just like some of hers. Many are chiseled to a fine point but some are just like yours and used (I think) for the larger ink wash areas in a painting. Perhaps your MIL did use it for dusting in and around small objects - I'm sure it would work well. Scroll down a bit more than half way in this link to see some brushes and read a bit about them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sumi-e Brushes

This is fantastic, I think I will hang it with my (small) Asian art collection. Well, "collection" is pushing it a little :) Thanks!

Yep, calligraphy brush. Picked up a few when we lived/worked in Tokyo. I even bought a small rack that you can hang them from, but I didn't buy enough of the smaller sized brushes, to be able to display them on the rack.

You need to get some ink and play with that thing! In art school, I used those brushes a lot, because they were cheap. ( ok, the bamboo ones were cheap) Recently, I was contracted to paint a Japanese style screen on a special type of rice paper and bought a bunch of brushes...I think they are goat hair? I forgot how much I enjoyed using them. They produce a very distinct mark....they hold a lot of ink and yet can produce very fine lines. Very different from westerns artist brushes.