Large Curved Clear Glass Fireplace Screen with Integral Handle. France. Circa 1980.

This large and exceptionally pure fireplace screen exemplifies the reductive modernist aesthetic of French design in the late twentieth century. Formed from a single sheet of curved clear glass, its silhouette describes a shallow convex arc — wider than it is tall, the horizontal emphasis lending it a quality of calm, panoramic breadth. The glass rests directly on its own curved lower edge, dispensing with any base or foot and achieving a clarity of form entirely consistent with the minimalist sensibility of its period.

The sole concession to ornament — and it is a beautifully judged one — is the integrated handle: an elongated oval aperture cut directly into the upper register of the glass, its edges polished smooth so that the cut reads as a precise graphic element against the surface rather than as a mere functional opening. This decision to make the handle part of the glass itself, rather than adding any applied element in metal or other material, is the mark of a designer working with deep respect for material integrity.

At 77 cm wide and 50 cm tall, the screen is proportioned to serve a generously dimensioned fireplace opening, and its clear glass ensures maximum visibility of the fire while providing effective protection. The use of curved rather than flat glass adds both visual interest and structural rigidity — the arc providing the same stiffness that a fold gives to a sheet of material, without any visible support or armature.

In very fine condition, the glass perfectly clear with polished edges throughout, this screen is an object of genuine design quality — a piece that would complement any contemporary interior, from the minimalist loft to the well-considered bourgeois apartment, with equal distinction.