Three-Panel Steel Expanded Mesh Fireplace Screen. France. Circa 1970.

This three-panel fireplace screen represents the purist expression of the protective screen’s functional brief: the elimination of all decorative elaboration in favour of the primary task of containing sparks and embers within the hearth. The central panel — broad and generous — is flanked by two return panels that fold inward at an angle, creating a three-sided enclosure that wraps partially around the fireplace opening and provides effective protection across a wide field of view. All three panels are filled with expanded metal mesh, its diamond-pattern openings fine enough to arrest flying sparks while remaining sufficiently open to allow the radiant heat of the fire to pass through unimpeded.

The expanded metal mesh, a material produced by cutting and stretching a steel sheet to create a regular pattern of diamond-shaped apertures, is the most practical and visually honest of all fireplace screen materials. It makes no pretence to decorative elaboration, presenting instead the direct beauty of an industrial material used with integrity and skill. The blackened steel finish is equally uncompromising: a simple, durable treatment that resists heat, suppresses reflections, and allows the screen to serve its function without drawing attention to itself.

The three-panel format with angled returns is particularly effective in practical terms, as it can be configured to accommodate fireplace openings of varying widths and prevents logs from rolling forward even at an angle. The flat steel rod framing that surrounds each panel is precisely dimensioned for the purpose, adding structural rigidity without visual bulk.

This screen is the ideal choice for a fireplace whose architectural character one does not wish to interrupt with decorative ironwork, or for a contemporary interior where the honest beauty of industrial materials is the governing aesthetic principle. Fully functional and in good condition.