Indian Four Panel Shutter or Screen Set

The breeze was welcome. The sun was not.

This four panel shutter or screen set comes from Kolkata, India, and dates to the mid 19th century. It is painted teak wood. Louvers were a practical answer to the city's heat, letting air move through a room while holding back the glare, and shutters like these were a familiar part of its 19th-century houses. Four hinged panels in reddish brown each carry three tiers of slats tied to central rods. A gap shows in the lowest tier of one panel. Ninety-one inches high and 84 long.

It still decides how much of the room you get to see.