With screens extended
Detail of top
Detail of base
Fire Screen
During the early 1800s, members of the privileged classes sometimes used a fire screen to block the radiant heat from harming “delicate feminine complexions.” This example, with front and back sliding panels, was passed down in the home of a Saint John family where it had always been called the Nisbet screen, after its maker. It incorporates several features that Nisbet often used: reeded legs and panel edges, acanthus carving on the upper legs and carved roundels in the corners. The finely turned bottom stretcher with rope carving is beautifully executed. Canadian fire screens from this early period are rare.