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
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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 Description
- ebony, ash burl veneer, pearwood, aluminum, silk and leather
- Classifications
- Object Number
- 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.