Cloches (dish covers), coolers, soup tureens, sauceboats, salt cellars, pepper and mustard pots c. 1819

Jean-Baptiste-Claude Odiot crafted this silver sauceboat with its stand sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century, during a period of immense social and political upheaval in France. The sauceboat, with its extravagant ornamentation and classical motifs, speaks volumes about the opulence and elitism of pre-revolutionary France, where the aristocracy reveled in displays of wealth and privilege. Consider the cherubic figure adorning the handle. What does it mean to literally grasp privilege? The winged sphinxes supporting the base further evoke a sense of exoticism and power, reminiscent of an era when the French elite asserted their dominance on the world stage through colonialism and trade. But the shine of the silver also reflects the harsh realities of inequality and discontent that ultimately fueled the French Revolution. Odiot's sauceboat serves as a poignant reminder of a society on the brink of transformation.