Somewhere inside this early-19th-century silver sauceboat, a serpent is sleeping. This pair of French Empire–style silver sauceboats bears the mark of A. Rasch & Co., a Bavarian-born silversmith working in Philadelphia. Among the most refined pieces of American silver produced in the early 19th century, they feature boldly sculptural cast serpent handles and ram's-head spouts. The engraved crest belongs to the Milligan family of Maryland. I found this Rasch & Co. piece (Philadelphia, Empire style, Milligan family crest) in @metmuseum's open archive — and couldn't stop thinking about that cast snake handle. So I built the moment before it existed: the snake still alive, coiled inside the bowl, slowly waking up and folding itself into the handle it was always meant to become.

Made in @floraai for #FLORAMuseum