Vanity Case (Nécessaire)

c. 1760

Vanity Case (Nécessaire), c. 1760. Attributed to James Barbot (British). Gold, orange agate, enamel; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Howard F. Stirn 2009.72 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. 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.