Just now I was clicking through old Ron Rhodes auctions on Live Auctioneers, because why not, and I came across this familiar-looking firescreen…
If you read my post about creating a stained glass cabinet for the Craftsman bungalow vignette, it’ll look familiar to you too!
The title of this lot was Kummerow & Wyatt Dollhouse Lighting Miniatures and I immediately thought, “Shit, did I destroy a piece of Barbara Kummerow stained glass?!”
Here’s the auction description:
Floor lamp with Tiffany style shade attributed to Barbara Kummerow has a brass, wood and clay pole 5 1/4″H, Ginger Wyatt hand painted porcelain table lamp, adjustable height brass floor lamp, also includes a fireplace screen with tight cracks in enameled area
Okay, so it was grouped with lights made by Barbara Kummerow and Ginger Wyatt (I don’t know who that is) but not necessarily made by one of them. That makes me feel better.
My next thought was, “Wait, is this MY firescreen?!” (Which is now a cabinet.)
I can’t remember where I got the firescreen, but this auction happened in December 2021 and I’ve had it longer than that. Just in case I was wrong about that and time has lost all meaning, I checked the date on some pictures I took of the firescreen when I started working on the bungalow and they are dated 2020.
So unless my future self has perfected time travel and is now zipping around planting miniature items in my workshop just to mess with me, it’s unlikely this is the same firescreen. Then again, my inability to remember where I got it sort of supports that theory.*
This leaves the question of who did make these firescreens…? It seemed like a one-off craft project to me, as opposed to an artisan piece, but I guess not. I hope I didn’t destroy something valuable.
If anyone reading this knows anything about the mysterious firescreen(s), please satisfy my curiosity!
Update July 15, 2022: The mystery has been solved!
*Note to my future self: if you are out there and have in fact perfected time travel, I would love to get my hands on the Jim Marcus Russian Embassy that I missed out on in 2019, and the Carlson Victorian Mansion that I badly wanted to buy off Craigslist back in 2018 but didn’t have space for. I have a much bigger workshop now!
Emily is a freelance writer, miniaturist, and adventure game enthusiast.
I remember Ginger Wyatt as a painting porcelain lamps. I think she could have made your fire screen also.
I’m pretty sure the fire screen is by Lew and Barbara Kummerow. They made many, many “stained glass” lamps (I have several), including fire screens. They did floral designs and craftsman style as well. They also made many other items including toys, tvs, radios, vacuum cleaners, etc.
You’re right. I tried Googling “Kummerow fire screen” and found this: https://co.pinterest.com/pin/455989530996254210/
Not sure how I missed that initially since I thought I had searched for it before posting. Maybe I was in denial!