Photograph by Ed Pollard, Hasselblad H4D50 - 2012.

Wolf and Hounds Fire Screen

Artist William Hunt Diederich (American, 1884-1953)

Dateca. 1925

MediumWrought iron, sheet iron, and steel mesh

Dimensions47 3/4 x 42 7/8 x 8 3/8 in. (121.3 x 108.9 x 21.3 cm)

ClassificationsDecorative arts

Credit LineMuseum purchase

Object number2012.12

On View

Not on view

DescriptionThis work is an iron and steel fire screen whose central compositional element is a large circle, within which are inscribed the stylized, silhouetted images of a wolf and three dogs. The top of the piece is circular, while the lower quadrants of the design are filled with decorative elements and a horizontal rectangular panel with interlacing curved iron strips and three cartouches. Below this band is a row of triangular teeth pointing downward. The work is signed in the central cartouche with the artist’s cipher “WHD.” It is supported by four legs, strips of iron that curve out into wide knees, then taper in the lower legs and widen again at the feet. Backing all internal elements of this design is a mesh of horizontal and vertical interwoven lines of steel, forming a regular pattern of squares. All elements are bolted together with evenly-spaced round rivets around the outer edges and on all sides of the lower rectangular base panel.
Label TextWilliam Hunt Diederich American, 1884–1953 Wolf and Hounds Fire Screen, ca. 1925 Wrought iron, sheet iron, and steel mesh Sharp teeth and spiky fur bring fierce rhythm and energy to this beastly spiral. Sculptor William Hunt Diederich specialized in animal forms, using horses, goats, deer, and especially greyhounds in designs for lamps, railings, weathervanes, and statues. This fire screen probably first decorated a Manhattan town house or a Long Island mansion during the boom years of the 1920s. Diederich’s chief patrons—captains of industry and finance—embraced these traditional, masculine hunting motifs and the sleek and modern Art Deco style. Museum purchase 2012.12