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Cheval fire screen

Panel attributed to Thomas Moore British
ca. 1755–60
Not on view
Intended to shield someone sitting before a fireplace from its direct heat, this fire screen was made for Susan, Countess of Shaftesbury (1710 – 1758) at St. Giles's House, Dorset. Called cheval, or horse, in reference to its four feet, this screen’s Rococo style was made fashionable in England by Thomas Chippendale. Prized for its durability, mahogany was imported into England from the West Indies and Central America. This lucrative trade contributed to widespread deforestation and, as with other colonial commodities, often relied on enslaved African labor. A testament to the popularity of French styles in mid-eighteenth-century England, the wool panel affixed to this elegant frame imitates French Savonnerie designs. Several English manufactories, competing to employ former Savonnerie weavers, could have produced this textile; it has most consistently been attributed to Thomas Moore, founder of the manufactory at Moorfields, London.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Cheval fire screen
  • Maker: Panel attributed to Thomas Moore (British, ca. 1700–1788)
  • Date: ca. 1755–60
  • Culture: British
  • Medium: Mahogany, wool knotted-pile panel (not original to the screen)
  • Dimensions: Overall: 52 1/2 × 37 1/2 × 26 1/4 in. (133.4 × 95.3 × 66.7 cm)
  • Classification: Woodwork-Furniture
  • Credit Line: Gift of Irwin Untermyer, 1964
  • Object Number: 64.101.1155
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Audio

Cover Image for 2144. Screen, Fire Cheval, Part 1

2144. Screen, Fire Cheval, Part 1

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