This stained glass and wood screen is a superb example of the art of the English Aesthetic movement, an artistic philosophy and style closely related to the Arts and Crafts movement. The four stained glass panels depict herons, other water birds, and marine wildlife in a lush marsh landscape. Enclosed in painted and stenciled frames of ebonized wood, the panels show the influence of the well-known Arts and Crafts designer William Morris (1834-1896) and his interest in Celtic ornamentation, medieval manuscript illumination, and Japanese decorative arts. The decoration reflects the colorful, dense, and multitextured interiors fashionable in London, as well as the new taste for Japanese art. This screen is attributed to John Moyr Smith (1839-1912), who worked in the London studio of the Scottish designer Christopher Dresser from 1868 to 1871.
Physical DescriptionColorless and multi-colored transparent glass, polychrome enamels, yellow-amber to brown silver stain, wood ebonized black with light green and rust colored painted detailing; cut, enameled and stained, fired, assembled with lead, inserted in painted wood frame. Folding screen consisting of four stained glass and wood panels, all glass is enameled and/or stained on the back side of glass (reverse-painted), scattered detailing on front side; each panel is divided into three parts enclosed within wooden frame: near top is a narrow band of three square glass "tiles" each with amber, black, and dark brown stained vignettes of fish, fowl or flowers, each tile enclosed in narrow camed border of blue glass (came is gilded, front side only); center section of each panel is a long vertical rectangle of glass pieces assembled with heavy leading, enameled forming a contiguous scene depicting birds in flight and at rest in a landscape with a small pool, the scene is dominated by four large long-necked birds of colorless glass with amber and brown details--at left of composition two birds with outstretched wings look down towards baseline, third panel has flying bird in a contorted frontal pose, fourth panel has large standing bird with long legs and large webbed feet (bird is bent down and long neck and body form a "c"-curve); foreground at base depicts ground with various leafy plants, the mid-ground of the two central panels depicts a small pool edged with rocks, plants, and grasses, a rising or setting sun (formed of a semicircle with triangular rays in amber and brown) is behind the pool, an undecorated horizon band of deep red glass cuts through the center of composition, background of upper half of stained glass panels has overall stick-worked blossom and foliage patterning in light amber shading to light brown; back side of each long stained glass section is braced by two equally spaced metal rods joined to leading with twisted lengths of soldered copper wire. Provenance
