Bottle with cover (one of a pair) 1670 - 1680

This silver bottle with cover was made by Thomas Jenkins in England, likely around the turn of the 18th century. The first thing you might notice is the incredible detail. Imagine the amount of labor it took to create this repeating pattern of leaves and grapes, chasing the design into the surface of the metal. This was a specialized skill, requiring years of training. Silver was the choice material for luxury objects, prized for its malleability and ability to be worked into intricate forms. The weight of the silver would have also conveyed status, demonstrating the owner’s wealth. But it's not just the material that speaks of class, it is also the workmanship. An object like this would have been commissioned by someone with considerable resources, and it reflects the highly developed division of labor at the time. These bottles are not just containers, they are potent symbols of wealth, skill, and social standing. They remind us that even seemingly decorative objects can be powerful indicators of the economic forces at play in their creation.