Lot Essay
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, owns the pair of miniature spherical boxes from the same set; as the soap and sponge boxes presented here, they were made by Pierre-François Rigal.
French toilet sets from the 18th century were typically supplied by several makers, each specialising in a specific type of objects. An other sponge box by Rigal, identical to the present one in both shape and design of the pierced decoration but made in 1773, is in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris (Gérard Mabille, Catalogue Raisonné, no 186).
French toilet sets from the 18th century were typically supplied by several makers, each specialising in a specific type of objects. An other sponge box by Rigal, identical to the present one in both shape and design of the pierced decoration but made in 1773, is in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris (Gérard Mabille, Catalogue Raisonné, no 186).