"Lotus" Table

This entire table has been carved to resemble a lotus, an aquatic plant depicted often in Japanese art. The object has been treated with jin-di-sugi, a Japanese technique for artificially aging wood.

By the turn of the 20th century, Minneapolis was a prosperous community with its own thriving Arts and Crafts industry. The city´s leading proponent of "artistic" design was John Scott Bradstreet, whose cooperative craft center, closely modeled on the utopian ideals of William Morris, produced imaginative interiors for a select clientele. One of Bradstreet's most creative works, this tabletop is carved as a lotus blossom, with the pedestal and base as its stem and roots. The triumphant result is a combination of a traditional tea-table form, Japonisme, and American Art Nouveau design.