Art Institute of Chicago

Ewer and Basin

Lisbon

Date

c. 1750

Medium

Silver

Culture

Lisbon

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

This ewer and basin were designed for use in the aristocratic ritual of the toilette, an elaborate practice of cleansing and dressing, often performed in the company of close acquaintances. The term toilette comes from the French word toile , referring to the textile covering on the table where the ritual was performed. The elite toilette was marked by the use of specialized accessories made from expensive materials. This ewer and basin were made in Lisbon, which experienced newfound prosperity in the early 1700s, largely due to the exploitation of enslaved people in Portugal’s Brazilian colonies, particularly at plantations and diamond mines.

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