24”H Vintage Chinese Folding Screen with Ducks and Lotus

Description

This charming 4-panel folding screen deserves a commanding spot above a traditional sofa or beautiful mantel. It will bring serenity and brightness to your space with its soft green hues. The graceful ducks wing their way through the lotus pond while bamboo sways in the background. This is a shorter screen at only 24”H, which makes it very versatile and perfect for smaller spaces. Circa 1970s-1980s. Wooden frame with metal hangers and rivets.

Size: 49”L x 24”H; folded 12”W x 3”D.

Condition notes: hinges sound; some scattered small stains; area of water staining on right side panels at hinge; black backing has some soiling and dust.

The folding screen was invented in China during the Han dynasty, but further developed by the Japanese who made it lighter, using paper and fabric, and more functional. In Japan it became an everyday objects used to block drafts, give privacy, and decorate a room. The Japanese painted naturalistic subjects and seasonal motifs on most of their screens to bring the outdoors inside. Trees, birds, snow, and flowers are some of the most popular designs.

The Asian screen is read from right to left and typically crafted in even number panels: 2, 4 ( although less in Japanese culture), 6, and 8. A lattice structure of wooden slats and layer upon layer of Japanese paper give the screens strength and flexibility allowing for the unique hinged folding method. The Japanese byobu was re-adopted by the Chinese as a popular export in the 1950s-1980s.