First crafted in 17th-century China, named for the coast where they passed into Western hands, the coromandel screen has stood in the most considered rooms for three centuries.
Ours is inlaid by hand with mother-of-pearl. Six panels. A single piece. Made the old way.
About mother-of-pearl inlay
The art of inlaying mother-of-pearl into lacquered wood is one of the oldest decorative traditions in Southeast Asia. Refined in Vietnamese workshops for more than a thousand years, and unchanged in method since.
The artisan begins with a sketch on rice paper, transfers it to lacquered wood, then cuts each shell fragment to fit the design. Smaller than a fingernail, each piece is hand-ground until it sits flush with the surface. A panel may take weeks. A full screen, half a year.
What you see, when you stand in front of one, is not a pattern. It is time.
Featured collection
Empire - Regular edge and pleated
Letters from CBP
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