What Are Oriental Screens Made Of?

Bamboo rods are just one of the many materials used to make Oriental screens.

Oriental screens refer to panel and folding screens made in the countries of Asia, most notably China and Japan. The oldest surviving screens were crafted by the Chinese, some dating back to the 8th century, but literary and artistic references date back as far as 200 B.C. With what and how Oriental screens were made evolved over the centuries as different cultures began to create versions of these folding screens of their own.

Wood

Some of the earliest Oriental screens were made by the Chinese, and were often crafted from heavy pieces of wood so they would hold their place. Not intended to be moved frequently, as the Japanese would have a need for, these heavy wood screen panels were carved from available timbers and often embellished with intricate works of art. The borders of these wooden panels were often left wide and prominent while tall images were carved into the centers of individual panels.

Bamboo

Lightweight and durable, bamboo became a staple material in crafting Oriental privacy screens as easy storage and portability became desirable traits of free-standing dividers. Bamboo has been used extensively in creating solid wood panel folding screens and fitted frames for paper inserts of various sizes. Bamboo screens look great in panels, rods or strips. They can be left in their natural color, which always looks great, or they can be stained any color of your choosing.

Paper

When Oriental screen making was introduced to Japan in the 8th century, the islanders adapted the pieces to serve several practical and decorative purposes by constructing them mainly out of paper. Since mobility was so important to their needs, paper folding screens developed by the Japanese were lightweight and flexible. A light and stable wood frame was layered with paper in a specific sequence, called karibari, and an ingenious system of paper hinges allowed for reversible folding patterns. These strong paper hinges were integrated into each paper panel's construction, and allowed them to collapse closer together for easy movement.

Silk

Stretched over frames or hung over solid wood panels, silk created a dramatic beauty no other material could in creating Oriental screens. Panels of the delicate fabric were painted with calligraphy or scenes from popular stories or mythologies with a carefully guarded method developed by Chinese artisans. Silk Oriental screens were coveted by the wealthy in ancient China and the modern West alike for their rarity and beauty.

Canvas

Canvas entered the realm of screen making via European wallpapering methods, which resembled Oriental screens from China more than any other Asian country in terms of their framing, individual panels and vertical composition. Europeans in the 18th century did not attach paper directly to their brick or wood walls, and instead they stretched decorative canvas over a frame made from wood. Oriental screen makers began to paint canvas with subject matter of their choosing to create beautiful, lightweight and durable works of art.

References

• The History, Technology, and Care of Folding Screens
• Japan Shoji: A Brief History of Folding Screens
• China Culture: Ancient Silk Painting