Pair of sauceboats 1768 - 1775

These sauceboats were crafted in France by Pierre-Adrien Dachery in the eighteenth century. Note the striking shell-like design of the sauceboats, drawing from the ancient symbol of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, often depicted emerging from a scallop shell. This motif harkens back to ancient Rome, where the shell symbolized pilgrimage and rebirth. We observe the evolution of this motif in Renaissance paintings such as Botticelli’s "Birth of Venus," where the shell signifies divine birth and feminine mystique. The shell invokes a primal connection to the sea, evoking subconscious notions of fertility and creation. The object transcends its utilitarian function to engage viewers on a deep, subconscious level, hinting at a more profound, cyclical progression of symbolic meaning.