Octagonal box with arms of Henry Somerset-Scudamore, 3rd Duke of Beaufort (1707–1745) 1729

Curator: What a splendid little thing! We’re looking at an octagonal silver box made in 1729. The box, currently residing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, features the arms of Henry Somerset-Scudamore, the 3rd Duke of Beaufort. Editor: My first thought? This whispers rather than shouts “Baroque.” The form is disciplined, almost reserved, despite that gleaming silver. It’s more… secretive. What kind of treasures did it safeguard, I wonder? Curator: Treasures, secrets, definitely something precious. The Duke must have felt he had things worth keeping under lock and key. The Baroque period does love to use these displays of power but they never scream! Editor: The symmetry is incredibly satisfying; yet there’s also a strange tension. Octagons always feel like a near miss of circular perfection. It gives it energy; an anticipation to see what could come of opening it, perhaps. Those heraldic arms… a story waiting to be decoded. I find myself getting lost trying to find symbolism that is hidden just behind those emblems. Curator: Absolutely. And consider this – silver, in that era, wasn’t just about wealth. It was thought to possess purifying qualities, to ward off evil! Was our Duke Beaufort trying to keep dark things away or hold good things near? Both. Editor: Or maybe it reflects his social standing, a constant reminder in polished metal? I imagine him seeing himself mirrored in its surfaces and pondering the obligations he would carry from those above and hand down to those beneath? A meditation for its master as well as something quite useful to contain. Curator: Perhaps. You’ve got me thinking about what we box away in ourselves, and what we choose to put on display to the world. The Duke wasn't so different than ourselves at that notion. Editor: A fitting sentiment. Here's a relic that offers glimmers into not just Baroque metalworking but Baroque selves too.