This
screen was probably made by a Napoleonic prisoner of war in the early
years of the 19th century. It is extremely rare. The surround
is made by using straw at different angles to create a symmetrical
pattern by catching the light from varied perspectives. The outer part
of leaf and berry uses straight and shaped straw to define the design.
The
central picture is an astonishing feat of skill and artistry. It depicts
figures from Aesop’s fables, a fox and a stork in the landscape. Some
of the straw is tinged with green and darker brown, but the perception
is of a great variation of colour.
Sunrise
is suggested by using straight pieces of light straw at an angle, while
the earth is made up of small pieces of differing shades at different
angles to differentiate flat earth from mountains. The trees are made up
of such tiny pieces that I needed a magnifying glass to even see them.
The foliage looks completely natural and light, thin branches visible
here and there. The animals too are made up of tiny pieces, the feathers
being especially well defined. Such fine work is rarely found even on
boxes which are in greater numbers than other objects. The person who
made this must have been a master straw-work artist before his
incarceration. This is probably the reason he was trusted with a
commission for an object which was to be publicly used.
The
back is also in straw-work, the symmetrical pattern more complex than it
first appears with the round circles breaking the austerity of the
pattern.
Size: Screen 21.1 cm wide by 27.2 cm; handle 7.7 cm long: 8.3 inches wide
by 10.7 inches; handle 3 inches.
Condition:
Please
refer to the above photographs for details of condition.
Keywords: Hygra.com, Antique
box, Antique Face Screen, fan, fire screen,
Napoleonic prisoner of war, Aesop’s fables, a fox and a stork in the
landscape, straw work, straw marquetry, parquetry,
