Indian Four Panel Shutter or Screen Set

Nearly eight feet of slats, each with a view on daylight.

This four panel shutter or screen set comes from Kolkata, India, and dates to the mid 19th century. The material is painted teak wood. Tall louvered shutters suited the city's climate, shading high doors and windows while keeping the air moving through the house, long before anyone had a better idea. The four panels are divided into three tiers of broad, flat slats, in a warm reddish brown with paler patches along the frames. Hinges show at the edges. Nearly eight feet tall, at 94.5 inches.

Daylight was always negotiable.