A 19th C. Ormolu Mounted Viennese Enamel Tri-Fold Watteau Scene Screen
A large 19th C. Ormolu Mounted Viennese Enamel Tri Fold Watteau Scene Screen.
This tri fold screen is formed with three hinged panels, each centered by a hand painted Viennese enamel plaque depicting figures in pastoral settings inspired by Watteau scenes. The central panel shows a musician entertaining seated companions beneath tall trees, while the side panels each depict a courting couple in a wooded landscape. Every plaque is enclosed within an ormolu frame cast with Rococo scrolls, shells, acanthus leaves, floral sprays, and pierced ornament. The cresting, apron, and scrolling feet continue the same decorative vocabulary across all three panels.
The screen is fitted with finely painted Viennese enamel plaques produced using the detailed overglaze enamel technique associated with nineteenth century Viennese workshops. These plaques were created on metal grounds and fired repeatedly to achieve layered color and precise figure painting. The composition is presented within gilt ormolu mounts that complement the enamel surfaces without covering the painted borders.
During the nineteenth century, Viennese workshops produced enamel objects featuring pastoral subjects derived from eighteenth century French paintings...
Category
1890s Austrian Louis XV Antique Enameled Decorative Objects