Posted on May 2, 2019
My research on brass led me to this gem:
Artist: Lockwood de Forest
A key figure in the aesthetic movement, New York-born artist Lockwood de Forest (1850–1932) was very inspired by Indian arts and crafts. He created the Ahmedabad Woodcarving Company in Gujarat, which exported many items to the United States. These cut and chased brass cutouts, designed by de Forest, were based on examples found in wood, plaster and stone in Indian architecture. In his designs, they would have been used as ornaments on architecture or furniture.
In 1879, Lockwood de Forest and Tiffany established an import business called Tiffany and de Forest. While visiting India for the first time, he collaborated with Mugganbhai Hutheesing to start the Ahmedabad Woodcarving Company, which produced elaborately carved furniture, tracery panels, jewellery and textiles. Eventually, in 1908, he transferred his contract with the Ahmedabad Woodcarving Company to Tiffany.
Image source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Medium: Brass; chased
City: Ahmedabad
Year: 1892
