Soap box
1713–14
Medium
Silver
Dimensions
Height: 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Silver
Culture
British, London
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Irwin Untermyer, 1968
Accession Number
68.141.167
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Sculpture and Decorative Arts collection, *Soap Box* (1713–14) is a delicate silver treasure crafted by Anthony Nelme, a renowned London silversmith active during the late Baroque era. Standing just 4 3/4 inches tall, this petite metalwork piece exemplifies the exquisite craftsmanship of early 18th-century British silver, a material prized for its luster, durability, and status as a luxury good among the elite. In the reign of Queen Anne and the dawn of George I, such soap boxes served a practical yet elegant purpose: safeguarding scented s...