Screen

What sets aside this five-part folding screen, which incorporates cut glass panes, is the marquetry on the two outermost panels. The curved headdress and clothing of the bare-breasted, elongated, graceful female figures bring to mind the representations of the Scottish Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the artists of the Wiener Werkstätte, especially Koloman Moser. By contrast, the decorative elements of their clothes, which terminate in hearts, and the metal plate applied to the base of the screen are reminiscent of the endeavours of the Gödöllő Artist Colony. The inlays, made of various types of wood, metal and mother-of-pearl, make these probably the most exquisite female figures of Hungarian Art Nouveau furniture. This glazed screen served as a partition, the two outermost panels are each crowned by a bracket-like element. This piece was probably originally part of the furnishings of the home of architect József Vágó, who liked to apply marquetry in his designs of fixtures and furnishings. His joint creations with his brother, László Vágó, often seem to marry the formal vocabulary of the Wiener Werkstätte with motifs of a ‘Hungarian taste.’

According to the previous owner, the screen belonged to the suite of furniture of the designer, József Vágó’s flat at 11-13 Bartók Béla street, in the 11th district of Budapest.