Large Antique Anglo Indian Kashmiri Dragon Carved Walnut Fire Screen

A magnificent large antique dragon carved walnut Anglo-Indian fire screen from the Kashmir region of India and dating from circa 1910. The folding screen has three wonderful panels, all intricately carved with dragons, flowers and foliage. It also features stylised longevity characters and faux bamboo carved borders and edges. Beautifully carved and with good original patina, with rich colour it is a good size standing at just over 1m high. This is really an excellent example with very high quality carving that would grace any room or look stunning in a fireplace. An image is included which is taken from the book “Our summer in the Vale of Kashmir” by Frederick Ward Denys printed in 1915 of a similar (but lesser quality) fire screen. In it the author details the skilled wood carvers of Kashmir and how a screen carved on both sides could take around a year to carve. During the late 19th and early 20th century skilled wood carvers in Kashmir created carved furniture and silverware of high quality for the export market. Often furniture was made to order and then shipped overseas. Customers could choose from designs such as the Lhasa (dragon design) or Kashmiri (flowers, vines and leaves) and could even incorporate their own family crests or coat of arms into the design. Construction/Wood:- Walnut