Dish
Medium
Silver
Dimensions
Overall: 9 1/2 × 9 1/2 in. (24.1 × 24.1 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Silver
Culture
French, Paris
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Catherine D. Wentworth, 1948
Accession Number
48.187.168
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant silver dish, crafted by silversmith Charles-Louisuste Spriman (also known as Spriment) around 1781–82, exemplifies the refined luxury of late 18th-century France. Measuring a precise 9½ × 9½ inches (24.1 × 24.1 cm), its square form and gleaming surface reflect the high standards of Paris's metalworking guilds, where pieces like this were hallmarks of aristocratic dining and display. Adorned with a prominent of arms, the dish likely served as a ceremonial platter or centerpiece for a noble family, underscoring the era's obsession with heraldry and social status. Just years before ...