Screens and Room Dividers
Late 20th Century Philippine Screens and Room Dividers
Rattan
Mid-20th Century Anglo-Japanese Screens and Room Dividers
Wood, Paint, Paper
Mid-20th Century Indonesian Other Screens and Room Dividers
Teak
Early 1900s German Late Victorian Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Fabric, Pine
1990s Swedish Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Fabric
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Resin, Plastic, Walnut
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
19th Century Belgian Biedermeier Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Glass, Wood
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
Early 20th Century Anglo-Indian Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
1960s French Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Bamboo
1970s Indian Chinoiserie Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wood, Giltwood
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Walnut
1960s European Organic Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
1950s French Louis XVI Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Cane, Wood
Late 19th Century French Aesthetic Movement Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Paint
2010s Italian Post-Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Marble
2010s Italian Post-Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Alabaster
19th Century Japanese Edo Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Brass, Gold Leaf
20th Century Japanese Anglo-Japanese Screens and Room Dividers
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Screens and Room Dividers
Lacquer
1970s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wood, Ash
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
Late 20th Century American Chinoiserie Screens and Room Dividers
Wood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary American Art Deco Screens and Room Dividers
Linen
19th Century Italian Rococo Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Leather, Canvas, Paint
Mid-20th Century Belgian Hollywood Regency Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
19th Century French Aesthetic Movement Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Bamboo, Giltwood, Lacquer
Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Screens and Room Dividers
Linen, Wood, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary American Aesthetic Movement Screens and Room Dividers
Wood, Paper
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Screens and Room Dividers
Wood, Lacquer
1950s American Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Oak
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Wicker, Walnut, Hardwood, Wood, Rattan
Early 2000s Italian Romantic Screens and Room Dividers
Leather, Wood
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
Early 20th Century Moroccan Moorish Screens and Room Dividers
Bone, Mother-of-Pearl, Ebony, Mahogany
20th Century European Screens and Room Dividers
Leather, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Aluminum
1980s American Art Deco Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Art Glass
Late 20th Century Chinese Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
1880s Victorian Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Beech
1970s American Bohemian Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wood, Paper
1970s French Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Teak
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
20th Century French American Classical Screens and Room Dividers
Canvas, Wood, Paper
Mid-20th Century Japanese Showa Screens and Room Dividers
Paper
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Screens and Room Dividers
Soapstone, Brass
Mid-20th Century North American Brutalist Screens and Room Dividers
Steel
1930s American Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Rattan
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
1880s Art Nouveau Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Directoire Screens and Room Dividers
Iron
20th Century Screens and Room Dividers
Fabric
Antique and Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
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.