Three-Panel Folding Fire Screen in Polished Brass and Steel Mesh

This three-panel folding fire screen combines a polished brass frame with finely woven steel mesh panels to achieve an effect of functional elegance that would easily fit into both period and contemporary interiors. The two side panels fold behind the central panel, allowing the fire screen to be adjusted to the width of the fireplace opening and stored conveniently when not in use. With a width of sixty-one centimetres and a height of forty-five centimetres, the piece is ideally proportioned for a standard-sized fireplace. The mesh panels are woven in a tight and regular pattern that effectively filters the light from the fire while allowing heat to radiate into the room. The polished brass framing — including the top rail, bottom rail, and vertical posts of each panel — is straight and unadorned, its clean geometry suggesting the influence of modernist aesthetics without straying from the traditional vocabulary of French fireplace accessories. The assembly of brass and mesh is carefully executed throughout the piece, with the frame elements snugly surrounding the mesh on all sides. Folding fireplace screens of this type, combining polished brass frames with woven wire or expanded steel panels, were produced abundantly in France during the post-war decades, providing an elegant and accessible solution for containing sparks without obstructing the view of the fire. The quality of execution of this example is markedly superior to mass production, with the brass frame being of a satisfying weight and the mesh clean and undistorted. In very good overall condition, the polished brass retains its original shine, and the mesh is intact and regular throughout the piece. A practical and attractive screen, ready for immediate use, perfectly suited to various types of fireplaces, from period interiors.