Victorian Taxidermy Butterfly-Mounted Cheval Fire Screen C.1880; Ex Pitt Rivers

The exquisite quality rectangular double-sided cheval fire screen or room divider, inset with symmetrical arrangements of exotic butterflies and moths, totalling over five hundred specimens, the collection being glazed to a minimalist museum ivory buff ground within a dovetailed solid mahogany frame with balustrade mouldings, raised on turned supports and splayed legs with brass castors in the manner of Gillows, the whole surviving from the Pitt Rivers Museum collection and the zeniths of the nineteenth century.

In remarkably un-touched condition, there are no specimens that have come loose and dropped to the lower edge with the buff interior remaining largely unstained and the mahogany with a super-rich colour. The castors are original and move freely and the glazing is original.

Such decorative screens reflect the late Victorian and Edwardian fascination with natural history, with examples often supplied by specialist dealers such as Henry R. Hope & Co. or Watkins & Doncaster, who prepared butterfly cases for both high-end domestic interiors and museum display. In terms of cabinetmaking style, the turned supports and splayed legs on castors are very much in line with mid–late 19th century English cabinet work, not dissimilar to Gillows-inspired furniture.

The Pitt Rivers Museum displays the archaeological and anthropological collections of the University of Oxford in England. Unlike any other and founded in 1884, it houses, within an atmospheric building, more than 500,000 objects, photographs and manuscripts from all over the world, and from all periods of human existence. Within these are exceptional objects of ritual significance, and objects made for tourists or trade. The Museum is loved by many and is widely regarded as one of the best of its kind. This screen was gifted to an ex-curator when leaving his post.

A stunning and unique centrepiece in immaculate condition and with a fascinating provenance.