500251 Fire Screen, Herter Brothers, c.1878-1880 (gilded wood, painted and gilded wood panels, brocaded silk, embossed paper) by American School, (19th century); h:131.80 w:76.20 d:58.30 cm; Cleveland Museum of Art, OH, USA; (add.info.: During the 1870s the New York firm of Herter Brothers produced some of the most sophisticated and technically refined furniture made anywhere in the world at that date. Although the firm is known to have made a considerable quantity of gilded furniture, this Fire Screen is one of only a few examples to survive in good condition. The most striking aspect of this piece is the painted and gilded embossed panel of birds and flowers which was almost certainly made in Japan. The design of the screen as a whole seems to have been predicated on the use of this decoration. ); The Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund; American, out of copyright.