Victorian Papier-Mâché Face Screen, c.1850–1870, English Hand-Painted Laqcuer Peacock & Gilt

Details

Description

A beautifully detailed mid-19th-century English hand screen or face screen, circa 1850–1870, formed from black lacquered papier-mâché and richly decorated … Read more A beautifully detailed mid-19th-century English hand screen or face screen, circa 1850–1870, formed from black lacquered papier-mâché and richly decorated with hand-painted and gilt ornament.
The central painted composition features a brilliantly colored peacock surrounded by flowers, exotic birds in flight, and a fanciful tiered fountain, all set within a dark atmospheric landscape. An elaborate border of scrolling gilt foliage follows the dramatically pierced and scalloped Rococo Revival outline of the screen.
Hand screens of this type were fashionable Victorian fireside accessories, held between the face and the heat of the fireplace and frequently displayed decoratively around the mantel when not in use. Comparable British examples in black lacquered, painted, and gilded papier-mâché are preserved in museum collections including The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The screen is fitted with a finely carved pale handle composed of turned, carved, and textured sections.
A particularly decorative surviving example, combining Victorian papier-mâché craftsmanship with the period taste for exotic birds, floral decoration, chinoiserie influences, and elaborate gilding.

Dimensions:
17.5 in. high × approximately 9 in. wide. See less