Spice Box
ca.1720 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Unusually, this spice box was made in Rome. However, it is very similar to those made in Paris and London by Huguenot goldsmiths. It was perhaps made in Rome for a visiting English or French patron. Spice boxes were often sold in pairs, sets or as part of a travelling service, so this Italian one may have been made as a copy to complete an existing set.
When the Catholic King Louis XIV revoked the religiously tolerant Edict of Nantes in 1685, Huguenots (French Protestants) were forced to leave the country. Many were craftsmen who settled in London. Their technical skills and fashionable French style ensured the luxury silver, furniture, watches and jewellery they made were highly sought after. Huguenot specialists transformed English silver by introducing higher standards of craftsmanship. They promoted new forms, such as the soup tureen and sauceboat, and introduced a new repertoire of ornament, with cast sculptural details and exquisite engraving.
Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.
When the Catholic King Louis XIV revoked the religiously tolerant Edict of Nantes in 1685, Huguenots (French Protestants) were forced to leave the country. Many were craftsmen who settled in London. Their technical skills and fashionable French style ensured the luxury silver, furniture, watches and jewellery they made were highly sought after. Huguenot specialists transformed English silver by introducing higher standards of craftsmanship. They promoted new forms, such as the soup tureen and sauceboat, and introduced a new repertoire of ornament, with cast sculptural details and exquisite engraving.
Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Raised, cast, flat chased and punched silver and gilded silver (silver-gilt) |
| Brief description | Silver spice box, Rome, ca. 1720 |
| Physical description | A spice box of shallow, octagonal sarcophagus form mounted on four scroll feet. Convex sides on the lower part of the box are complimented by concave on the upper, flat-chased strapwork and husks on a punched matted found below and panels of punched matting above completed with an ovolo border. Panels of classical busts, strapwork, and scrolling foliage on a matted ground decorate the centrally hinged covers. The interior of the box is divided into three gilded compartments with an additional cylindrical compartment at the centre, coveted by a gardooned border and a bud finial. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London |
| Object history | Provenance Acquired by Arthur Gilbert from S.J. Phillips Ltd, London, 1983. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Unusually, this spice box was made in Rome. However, it is very similar to those made in Paris and London by Huguenot goldsmiths. It was perhaps made in Rome for a visiting English or French patron. Spice boxes were often sold in pairs, sets or as part of a travelling service, so this Italian one may have been made as a copy to complete an existing set. When the Catholic King Louis XIV revoked the religiously tolerant Edict of Nantes in 1685, Huguenots (French Protestants) were forced to leave the country. Many were craftsmen who settled in London. Their technical skills and fashionable French style ensured the luxury silver, furniture, watches and jewellery they made were highly sought after. Huguenot specialists transformed English silver by introducing higher standards of craftsmanship. They promoted new forms, such as the soup tureen and sauceboat, and introduced a new repertoire of ornament, with cast sculptural details and exquisite engraving. Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996. |
| Bibliographic reference | Schroder, Timothy. The Gilbert collection of gold and silver, Los Angeles (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) 1988, cat. no.159, pp. 585-7. ISBN.0875871445 |
| Other numbers |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | LOAN:GILBERT.668:1, 2-2008 |
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| Record created | June 26, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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