Fire Screen

1924–30

Max Kuehne
American, born Germany, 1880–1968

Originally trained as a painter, Max Kuehne began to make furniture in 1917 after a trip to Spain, where he observed craftsmen using Renaissance woodworking techniques. Kuehne’s designs were highly unconventional: he made his own pieces with large areas for decoration, which he incised, gilded, and painted with modern elements inspired by non-Western cultures. The imagery on this fire screen— scrolling clouds and bold animals bounding through a lush landscape—recalls Persian miniature paintings.

Status: On View, Gallery 272
Department: Arts of the Americas

Artist: Max Kuehne
Title: Fire Screen
Place: United States (Object made in:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: c. 1924–1930
Medium: Gessoed wood, watercolor, silver leaf, and shellac
Dimensions: 91.5 × 63.5 × 29.3 cm (36 × 25 × 11 1/2 in.)
Credit Line: Quinn E. Delaney Fund
Reference Number: 2015.313

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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