A rare early George II sterling silver soap box, London 1727 by T.?, attributed to Thomas England (reg. 26th Aug 1725)

Of spherical form with stand-away hinge and moulded rim, raised upon a spreading circular foot. The lid engraved with a contemporaneous crest of a stag’s head couped. Marked to the base and fully marked to the inside of lid.

Diameter – 7.5 cm / 3 inches

Height – 10 cm / 4 inches

Weight – 183 grams / 5.88 ozt

Thomas England (c.1700 – c.1747), was apprenticed to John Martin Stocker on the 4th August 1714, he was then turned over Samuel Margas on 10th October 1716, later working from ‘Long Acre, over against the Vine Tavern’. Soap boxes and their companion pierced sponge boxes formed part of early 18th century dressing table silver for gentlemen along with shaving jugs and basins, as well as forming components of toilet services. There has been some discussion within silver literature as to whether the pierced boxes were for the sponge or for soap, Harold Newman writes that “[t]he upper half and sometimes part of the lower half, has a pattern of pierced decoration to permit the soap to dry and allow and the scent to escape.” He also goes on to state that unpierced examples are for use with a shaving set, we know from the famous inventory of George Booth the second Earl of Warrington’s plate, that a shaving set was described as, ‘a Trimming Bason 35:03. Ewer 21:18. Wash Ball Box 14:13, 71:14’ (The Particular of my Plate and its Weight, 30 April 1750, revised 1754). This documentary set, of 1744 by James Shruder, was sold Christie’s New York, 24 Oct 2002, Lot 296 ($174,500 incl. premium).

Examples of surviving pairs of boxes include a pair of oval boxes, one with ‘blind piercing’, London 1720 by David Willaume sold Sotheby’s New York, 21 Nov 2014, Lot 1271 ($4,000 incl. premium) and a French pair of spherical examples for Paris 1750 by Henry Allain sold Sotheby’s Paris, 12 April 2018, lot 194 (€12,500 incl. premium).

A pierced sponge box of 1713 by Anthony Nelme is illustrated Hackenbroch, Y., (1963) English and Other Silver in the Irwin Untermyer Collection, New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, plate 166.

A soap box of 1732 by Edward Feline of similar form, was sold Christie’s London, 25-26 Nov 2014, Lot 495 (£5,250 incl. premium)

The description, dimensions and year match that of a soap box put down to Thomas Tearle, sold Christie’s New York, 22 Oct 1997, lot 252 ($1,380 incl. premium)

For further reading see: G.Bernard Hughes, ‘silver boxes for scented soap’, Country Life, 13 Sep 1973, p. 723 Andrew Milne Collection