Relevant categories: Curios,Architectural,Chinese Porcelain,Objet d Art
( Above Photo: Edwardian Screen Four Panel Room Divider Satinwood 1910 )
The antique screen room divider is a highly-functional furniture piece that creates two separate areas in a room. It is the preferred trade tool for architects and interior designers looking to distinguish two places in a room.
Screen room dividers originated in 7th-century China, where royals and the wealthiest members of society used them to create private spaces in their homes. As such, original room dividers are ornate with beautiful decorations. Even though heavy, they are easy to move around the room, creating space as and when needed.
In most cases, screen room dividers had beautiful art decorations with themes depicting nature, palace life, and Chinese mythology. For example, there could be the illustration of a young lady in love behind a folding screen.
The Chinese used the folding screen to conceal the bed of a newly-married couple. It mostly had twelve panels, which made it easy to move around the room depending on the amount of space one wished to conceal.
Initially, the Chinese made screen room dividers using wood panels. Later on, they used silk or paper. In the 7th century, artists adopted room dividers as the perfect canvasses for their art. So, the rich would commission an artists to create a folding screen, which they would use to decorate their homes.
( Above Photo: Burmese Antique Screen 5 Panel Carved Room Divider Myanmar 1850 )
The Koreans were the first to adopt folding screens for use in the king’s throne room. A king would place a room divider immediately behind the throne to hide the things they didn’t want to be seen.
The Japanese adopted room dividers in the 8th century and mainly used lighter, more portable materials. They used their room dividers for outdoor processions, religious events, and tea ceremonies. But screen room dividers were much more than functional pieces.
Some pieces had highly-decorative designs and featured bold compositions of repeated patterns or simple objects. Other folding screens used silver foil and gold as decorations.
( Above Photo: Antique French Tapestry Screen Hand Woven Courtly 1880 )
After interacting with eastern cultures, Europeans developed their versions of screen dividers from the late middle Ages. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Europeans imported screen room dividers from China. Most of the imported items were adored with art and lacquered.
Later on, people in Europe made their versions of folding screens using varied materials, like mirrors, silk, leather, and wood.
( Above Photo: Set 4 Chinese Porcelain Plaques - Famille Rose Hardwood AnScreens )
Screen room dividers are great for improving a room’s interior design. Besides decorating the tique room, they have practical uses like preventing the home graft. They are also helpful in creating a sense of privacy, especially in rooms where individuals need privacy while dressing.
In large rooms, the dividers can create partitions and change the space’s interior features. You can also use the screen to conceal certain features like kitchen doors by placing them near the entrance of a particular room.
So, are you looking to buy an antique screen room divider? We have some great options in our shop. You should get one to improve your home’s interior décor and create a better aesthetic appeal.
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