Pair
of Antique embossed paper Face Screens with water colour paintings of
flowers.
The
embossed surround is in the neoclassical tradition. The motif in the
four corners features acanthus leaves bursting from a central point and
culminating in an oval stylised thistle. Both the leaves which fold out
and the long ones which dance in a curl are in symmetry. The robustness
of the design hints at the freer naturalistic style of the central
decoration.
The
central panels are expertly painted with finesse and accuracy, denoting
both botanical knowledge and artistic sensitivity, which allows for the
movement of the flowers and the delicacy of the blooms to be
demonstrated. One screen features a white poppy obscuring a convolvulus
with a shy red fuscia peeping from behind. The other screen is painted
with violets, their bold blue and green shadowing the paleness of the
blossoms behind them.
The
composition on the screens appears to be deliberate in that it shows how
dark and pale flowers in contrast show their individual beauty to
advantage, when arranged with expertise.
The
turned wooden handles are gilded and introduce a glamorous worldly note
to the subtle artwork and the formal grey-blue framing, which suggests a
pale sky.
Origin: UK; Circa:
1825; Materials: paper
and wood.
Size: Screen 24 cm wide by 19 cm;
handle 23.5 cm long: 9.5 inches wide
by 7.6 inches; handle 9.2 inches long.
Condition:
Please refer to the photographs for details of condition.
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