Sugar bowl with cover 1786 - 1787

This sugar bowl with cover was created by Etienne Modenx, a French silversmith, sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century. It is made of silver and glass. The reflective, cool nature of the silver contrasts beautifully with the dark blue glass liner. Notice the extraordinary amount of labor that has gone into this piece. The silverwork is finely chased with classical motifs, while the glass is likely hand-blown and fitted precisely to the silver frame. Silver, of course, is a valuable material, so this sugar bowl would have been a status symbol, reflecting the wealth of its owner. Consider also the social context. The sugar that would have been stored in this bowl was produced by enslaved labor in the Caribbean, so even a seemingly innocent object like this one is tied to wider social issues of labor, politics, and consumption. This is precisely why the study of materials and making is so important to understanding the full meaning of an artwork.