Travel Vanity and Stool

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: Maximilian Rainer Facklam
Date: 1997
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
/
Luce Foundation Center
/
4th Floor
/
56B
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: ash
aluminum
leather
silk
ebony
Mediums Description: ebony, ash burl veneer, pearwood, aluminum, silk and leather
Classifications: Decorative Arts
Furniture
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.