Server
c. 1880–90
Medium
Carved teakwood, ash or oak
Dimensions
119.4 × 48.3 × 99.7 cm (47 × 19 × 39 1/4 in.)
Classification
furniture
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
181453
Art Historical Context
Lockwood de Forest’sServer,” made around 1880–189, captures the late-nenth-century American fascination global materials and decorative traditions Classified among the Arts of the Americas at Art Institute of Chicago, piece was designed for practical use in a dining or parlor while serving as a showcase of fine carving. Its modest scale—roughly 47 by19 by 39¼ inches—made suitable for the well-appointed homes of the. The work is fashioned primarily from carved teakwood, accented with ash or oak. Teak’s dense grain and natural oils lent both strength and a warm, lustrous surface ideal for intri...
About the Artist
Lockwood de Forest · 1850–1932
American painter, interior designer and furniture designer. A key figure in the Aesthetic Movement, he introduced the East Indian craft revival to Gilded Age America. His father was Henry Grant de Forest, and his son worked professionally as Lockwood de Forest, Jr., though the son's birth name is Lockwood de Forest, III.