Folding Screen

Description

Charles Rohlfs’s designs are highly inventive and unique in American furniture. His shop never employed more than eight assistants, which resulted in a small output of custom pieces. He exhibited at several international exhibitions: in Buffalo in 1901, Turin in 1902, and St. Louis in 1904. This screen is one of two four-panel screens Rohlfs made for his own house (the location of the matching screen is unknown). The five horizontal panels are filled with a continuous relief carving of a conventionalized plant. Although the original leather hinges are missing, the original square-head nails survive.