Soap and sponge boxes

ca. 1739
Not on view
Matching spherical boxes such as this pair were often made to accompany a silver shaving basin—an oval bowl with a broad notched rim that allowed the basin to be pressed against a gentleman’s neck while he was being shaved. The decorative piercing on the sponge box had a practical purpose: it allowed air to circulate to dry the damp sponge. The unpierced box accommodated a piece of soap, which, in the eighteenth century, was purchased in a ball rather than a bar.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Soap and sponge boxes
  • Maker: Marked by C. Louis Gérard (1697–1759, master 1716)
  • Date: ca. 1739
  • Culture: French, Douai (Lille Mint)
  • Medium: Silver
  • Dimensions: Overall (each): 3 3/4 × 3 3/8 in. (9.5 × 8.6 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork-Silver
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Catherine D. Wentworth, 1948
  • Object Number: 48.187.142, .143
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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