Sugar bowl 1753 - 1754

This sugar bowl was crafted in France by Sébastien Igonet, sometime in the 18th century. It is made of silver. Such objects provide insight into the social and economic life of the period. Sugar, once a luxury, had become increasingly available, yet remained a potent symbol of wealth and status. This bowl, with its refined form and engraved heraldic crest, speaks to the rituals of consumption among the French aristocracy. The crest suggests that this bowl was likely commissioned for a specific noble family, reflecting their lineage and social standing. Objects like this invite us to consider the broader context of artistic production. By researching period inventories, guild records, and family histories, we can better understand the bowl’s original function, ownership, and the social values it embodied. Art history, at its best, illuminates not just the object itself, but the world that shaped it.