AN 'EAGLE' FIRE SCREEN BY WILLIAM HUNT DIEDERICH (AUSTRIAN 1884-1953) a repousse and hand-forged wrought iron and wire mesh fire screen depicting a pair of eagles seated on a branch, with arched top; dimensions: 103 x 111.5 cm (40 1/2 x 43 7/8 in.) LOT NOTES Wilhelm Hunt Diederich was born in 1884. He was the son of an American mother -- a member of the prominent Hunt family of Boston. Diederich grew up in Hungry. His father bred and trained horses for the Prussian army. After his father’s death, Diederich attended schools in Switzerland where his interest in horses that he inherited from his father coalesced with his newfound proximity to the traditional Swiss art form of silhouette making and other forms of paper art. By his teenage years, Diederich’s trajectory towards the arts was clear. Around 1900, he left for America to live with his grandfather, the artist William Morris Hunt. Diederich attended classes at the Boston Art School in 1903, and then attended Milton Academy. Diederich left the school without graduating and set out Westward in the pursuit of the ‘cowboy way of life’. His years with his father who worked with horses, time in Switzerland where he absorbed the local art which emphasized silhouette and form, and his time experiencing life as a cowboy in the Western United States, all contributed to cementing his interest in animals and their physiognomy. Beginning in 1906, Diederich attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and then traveled throughout Africa and Europe before settling in Paris and studying with Emmanuel Frémiet, a famous French animalier. By the early 1910s, Diederich had honed his craft and his work began being exhibited in many Salons. Diederich moved to New York City during the rise of the first World War. By the late 1910s Diederich had begun the phase of his artistry he is best known for: working with wrought iron to create functional art that such as fire screens, gates, lamps, trivets, making earthenware plates with imagery of animals, and occasionally creating purely decorative sculpture. This work continued with his chronic theme of showcasing animals. Diederich developed an affinity for portraying animal forms in such a way as to emphasize the capturing of a singular moment within a scene of action, dynamism, and movement. Often multiple spindly animal limbs would cross and curl over one another, creating an almost scroll-like pattern, sometimes echoing those found elsewhere on the same work. Diederich’s art grew in popularity throughout the 1910s and 1920s as the art deco style proliferated. His first solo exhibition was at Kingore Galleries in 1920. His art was subsequently exhibited in numerous galleries around New York City, and his work was showcased at the Whitney Studio Club which would later give rise to the Whitney Museum. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Newark Museum also acquired pieces of his work around this time. In 1922 he was awarded the Gold medal of the Architectural League. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s Diederich was commissioned to create works for may public spaces in New York City and beyond including the Central Park Zoo, and multiple train stations most notably the Forest Hills train station. Diederich continued to create works for public as well as private commissions in the United States and Europe until his eventual death in 1953. This fire screen features two eagles on a branch, a deviation from the traditional hunting and sporting animal themes seen in most of Diederich’s screens. However, the low relief repoussé eagles elegantly showcase Diederich’s characteristic emphasis on the simplified form in profile. The wings of the eagles are created through unembellished use of angles and geometric lines. The eagles are both seemingly flat, silhouette like, and yet show three-dimensionality given how the right eagle overlaps the bird on the left, and how the tail-feathers of the right-most bird partially covers the branch it is perched upon. The eagles are attached delicately yet securely to the wire mesh backing, and the screen has a stylish arch on top. CONDITION The screen is in overall very good original condition. Some corrosion, as apparent in images, mainly to the lower half. The right front leg is slightly bent. Otherwise, no significant issues or restoration apparent to the naked eye. N.B. All lots are sold in as-is condition at the time of sale. Please note that any condition statement regarding works of art is given as a courtesy to our clients in order to assist them in assessing the condition. The report is a genuine opinion held by Shapiro Auctions and should not be treated as a statement of fact. The absence of a condition report or a photograph does not preclude the absence of defects or restoration, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Shapiro Auctions, LLC., including its consultants and agents, shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.