The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 18, 2025
Soap Box and Sponge Box Set
1769
manufacturer
(French, est. 1756)
painter
(French, 1735–1812)
Overall: 11.5 x 9.1 cm (4 1/2 x 3 9/16 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1953.635
Location: Not on view
Did You Know?
The first recorded sale of a boîte d’éponge was to Louis XV in September of 1767.Description
In 18th-century France the toilette, an elaborate dressing ceremony practiced by both men and women, became increasingly ritualized and public, creating a demand for matching containers and implements like this soap and sponge box. The box with the lid pierced in floral patterns would have been used to carry the sponge.- (Cesar de Hauke, Paris).
- Guilleme-Brulon, Dorothée. "Les Objets de toilette en porcelaine de Sèvres." L'Estampille 154 (February 1983). p. 40
- {{cite web|title=Soap Box and Sponge Box Set|url=false|author=Sèvres Porcelain Factory, Antoine-Toussaint Cornaille|year=1769|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1953.635