Screens and Room Dividers
Mid-20th Century Italian Art Nouveau Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Metal
19th Century Adam Style Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Silk
1980s Post-Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Lacquer
19th Century French Country Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Marble, Brass
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Oak
1980s American Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
1940s American Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Mahogany
1990s American Post-Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Steel
Mid-19th Century English George III Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Mahogany
2010s Screens and Room Dividers
Aluminum
Early 19th Century English Victorian Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Tapestry, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Screens and Room Dividers
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Metal
20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Walnut, Teak
19th Century Chinese Ming Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
19th Century French Neoclassical Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Giltwood, Fabric
Early 19th Century British Regency Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Brass, Steel, Wire
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Screens and Room Dividers
Fabric, Wood, Giltwood
Early 20th Century Renaissance Revival Screens and Room Dividers
Mahogany
20th Century Unknown Screens and Room Dividers
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Mirror, Oak
2010s Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Cane, Hardwood
1950s American Other Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
Late 19th Century French Japonisme Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Canvas, Giltwood
1920s Asian Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary South Korean Screens and Room Dividers
Foam
2010s Italian Screens and Room Dividers
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
Late 20th Century Spanish Screens and Room Dividers
Bamboo
Early 20th Century Art Nouveau Screens and Room Dividers
Silk, Glass, Walnut
Late 20th Century Philippine Chinese Chippendale Screens and Room Dividers
Bamboo
Early 19th Century British Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Marble, Brass
1890s French International Style Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Canvas
1970s European Organic Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Cut Steel
2010s Italian Art Deco Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
19th Century Italian Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
1820s French Empire Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Brass, Steel
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Metal, Brass
Late 18th Century Italian Grand Tour Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Burlap, Mahogany
2010s American Screens and Room Dividers
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Chinoiserie Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
19th Century English Victorian Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Other
1940s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Glass
Late 20th Century Chinese Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
1970s Italian Hollywood Regency Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Bamboo
2010s Italian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Oak, Leather, Textile
1960s Arts and Crafts Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Linen
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Plywood
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Fabric, Wood
Late 20th Century Chinese Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
1950s Chinese Chinese Export Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
19th Century Victorian Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Metal
Vintage Screens and Antique Room Dividers on 1stDibs: Japanese Screens, Chinese Screens and Art Deco Screens for Sale
Whether they are implemented as decorative accents or makeshift partitions to ensure privacy, antique and vintage folding screens and room dividers easily introduce sophistication and depth to any space in your home.
The earliest examples of folding screens are said to have originated in China and go back at least as far as the Han dynasty. Screens of the era were heavy structures made of wood and had hinges of cloth or leather. They were adorned with elaborate landscape paintings that were typically created on silk or paper canvases and applied directly to the screen’s panels afterward. Just as they had been in the 20th century and today, the folding screens then were recognized for both their practical and purely decorative properties.
Japanese room-divider screens were also decorated with paintings but constructed to be lightweight and mobile. They took on considerable event-based importance when the structures gained popularity in the East Asian country, as the folding screens were used in performing arts such as concerts, tea ceremonies and more. Later, artists elsewhere warmed to folding screens and sought to create their own.
In European countries such as France, where they were known as paravent, folding screens began to materialize in apartments in Paris, gaining favor with the likes of pioneering couturier Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, who is said to have accrued more than 30 and used them as a precursor to what we now know as wallpaper.
On 1stDibs, find a wide range of antique and vintage folding screens and room dividers, which, given their history, may do a better job of bringing people and cultures together in your home than sectioning off a space. Search by material to find options in metal, fabric or wood, or browse by style for mid-century modern designs and examples from the Art Deco era.