Coromandel screen

A carved lacquer coromandel screen of eight panels depicting various domestic scenes c1820.

The coromandel lacquer technique emerged in the 16th century for the domestic market, not specifically for export. It is a technique in which patterns are carved out of a smooth lacquer surface, revealing the neutral ground which is then coloured with oil or lacquer pigments. These screens represented the ultimate imported luxury for wealthy Europeans from the 17th century and were sometimes cut up to embellish domestic furniture or panel rooms. Coromandel screens became extremely fashionable again in the 1920's and 30's and were owned by such people as Chanel, Schiaparelli, Condé Nast and used as props by Cecil Beaton for many of his photographs of this period. The name is derived from India’s Coromandel coast, where they were transshipped to Europe in the late 17th and early 18th centuries by merchants of the English and French East India companies.

Each panel measures 38 cm x 209 cm