Screens and Room Dividers
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Screens and Room Dividers
Paper
1980s Unknown Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
2010s Guatemalan Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Wood, Mahogany
Early 1900s Czech Mid-Century Modern Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Fabric, Wood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
1950s French Brutalist Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wrought Iron
2010s Italian Screens and Room Dividers
Plastic
1920s Japanese Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wood, Lacquer
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Metal, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Poplar
1970s American Folk Art Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Canvas, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Paper
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Bamboo
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Paper
1780s French Country Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Mirror, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Pine
2010s Italian Screens and Room Dividers
Aluminum, Foil, Iron
1920s Chinese Chinoiserie Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Lacquer
20th Century European Art Deco Screens and Room Dividers
Gold Leaf
20th Century American Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Mahogany, Lacquer
1990s Japanese Showa Screens and Room Dividers
Cotton
Early 20th Century Moroccan Moorish Screens and Room Dividers
Bone, Mother-of-Pearl, Ebony, Mahogany
Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Copper
Late 20th Century Unknown Regency Screens and Room Dividers
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Screens and Room Dividers
Beech
1970s French Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Metal
1950s Italian Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
2010s French Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Rock Crystal, Bronze
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
20th Century American Other Screens and Room Dividers
Lacquer
19th Century Adam Style Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Silk
1940s American Art Deco Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Rush
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Canvas, Wood, Paint
Mid-20th Century Swedish Rustic Screens and Room Dividers
Rope
Late 20th Century Chinese Screens and Room Dividers
Wood, Paper
2010s Brazilian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
Late 19th Century French Art Nouveau Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Bronze
Late 20th Century Unknown Chesterfield Screens and Room Dividers
Metal
1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Metal, Copper
Mid-19th Century African Moorish Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Bone, Wood
2010s French Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Jacquard
19th Century European Louis XV Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Wool, Satin, Giltwood
2010s American Screens and Room Dividers
Silver, Other
1950s Italian Art Nouveau Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century Hong Kong Chinese Export Screens and Room Dividers
Stoneware, Wood, Lacquer
Late 20th Century Austrian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Steel
1970s Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Hardwood, Paint
Early 20th Century English Screens and Room Dividers
Leather
1990s Mexican Bohemian Screens and Room Dividers
Metal
19th Century Rococo Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Canvas, Wood
20th Century American Art Deco 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.