Travel Vanity and Stool

Maximilian Rainer Facklam, Travel Vanity and Stool, 1997, ebony, ash burl veneer, pearwood, aluminum, silk and leather, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of an anonymous donor, 1998.53
Copied Maximilian Rainer Facklam, Travel Vanity and Stool, 1997, ebony, ash burl veneer, pearwood, aluminum, silk and leather, vanity: 35 5⁄8 x 20 5⁄8 x 16 in. (90.4 x 52.5 x 40.7 cm) footprint (vanity): 19 1⁄2 x 14 3⁄4 in. (49.4 x 37.6 cm) stool: 20 1⁄2 x 11 3⁄4 x 11 7⁄8 in. (52.2 x 30 x 30.2 cm) footprint (stool): 7 1⁄8 x 7 3⁄8 in. (18.2 x 18.8 cm) travel case: 11 5⁄8 x 17 3⁄4 x 9 7⁄8 in. (29.6 x 45 x 25 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of an anonymous donor, 1998.53

Artwork Details

Title
Travel Vanity and Stool
Artist
Date
1997
Location
Dimensions
vanity: 35 5⁄8 x 20 5⁄8 x 16 in. (90.4 x 52.5 x 40.7 cm) footprint (vanity): 19 1⁄2 x 14 3⁄4 in. (49.4 x 37.6 cm) stool: 20 1⁄2 x 11 3⁄4 x 11 7⁄8 in. (52.2 x 30 x 30.2 cm) footprint (stool): 7 1⁄8 x 7 3⁄8 in. (18.2 x 18.8 cm) travel case: 11 5⁄8 x 17 3⁄4 x 9 7⁄8 in. (29.6 x 45 x 25 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of an anonymous donor
Mediums
Mediums Description
ebony, ash burl veneer, pearwood, aluminum, silk and leather
Classifications
Object Number
1998.53
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1998.53

Artwork Description

Travel Vanity is lined with silk and ash burl veneers, and stocked with expensive cosmetics, perfumes, cloth napkins, and a wine stopper. The case sits atop a stand crafted from precious woods, which is itself fully stocked with the same luxury items. Rainer Facklam’s work often harks back to a bygone era of luxury, but the sheer accumulation of costly ointments and “necessities” also offers a satirical jab at “travel vanity” in the boom years of the 1990s.