Sauceboat c. 1755

Editor: Here we have a silver sauceboat, artist John Leacock. It's quite small, but the polished metal gives it such presence! What do you make of it? Curator: This sauceboat, while seemingly innocuous, speaks volumes about power and privilege. Silverware like this wasn't merely functional, it was a visual declaration of wealth and status. Editor: So, it represents more than just holding sauces? Curator: Absolutely. Who made the sauces? Who was excluded from such elaborate meals? Consider the labor, the resources, the social hierarchy embedded within this object. It reflects a system where some dined in luxury while others toiled. Editor: It's interesting to think about something so seemingly simple having so much context within it. Thank you! Curator: My pleasure, it is vital to view art as cultural artifacts that reveal much about past societies.