Rosewood Table Screen

Screens served numerous functions as portable architecture in Chinese homes. The largest examples sectioned off entire rooms, allowing a family to customize spaces to suite their needs. Smaller table screens, such as this one, were often used to block drafts and other intrusions in a scholar's studio. This 19th-century table screen was crafted from a type of rosewood known as huali. Prized for its rich, shimmering surface, the wood plays well off the screen’s mirrored surface.