Vanity Case (Nécessaire)

c. 1760

attributed to James Barbot

(British)

Culture

England, mid 18th century

Medium

gold, orange agate, enamel

Credit Line

Gift of Howard F. Stirn 2009.72

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

This small box with a mirror-lined lid is a dressing table accessory that contains luxury objects such a clasp knife, snuff spoon, ivory tablet, and scent bottles.

Description

Luxurious personal objects were an essential part of a privileged wardrobe during the 1700s and early 1800s, emphasizing their owner’s refinement and wealth. Jewelry, miniatures, and nécessaires—small expensive sets designed to hold grooming, writing, and sewing tools—were often given as intimate gifts, intended to be seen and admired. Their glittering surfaces, however, disguised a system based on the labor and suffering of enslaved or indentured people, whether in gold and stone mines or shops where these goods were made.