Sauceboat 1750 - 1760

This elegant silver sauceboat was crafted by Joseph Richardson Sr., a prominent silversmith in colonial Philadelphia. Born into a Quaker family, Richardson inherited both a religious and social position that valued simplicity and integrity. However, consider the wider context: the wealth that afforded such refined objects was often built on the exploitation and forced labor of enslaved people. Silver, like sugar or tobacco, carries with it a complex history of trade, power, and inequality. The engraved coat of arms is a clue: signaling the owner’s status and lineage. We are left to wonder what narratives are both visible and invisible in this object. What does it mean to consider the refined beauty alongside the harsh realities of the 18th century? This sauceboat is not merely a vessel for condiments but a container of complex social histories.