Sculpture of the Day: The Royal Neptune Standing Salt, 1851

The Royal
Neptune Standing
Salt
Elkington, Mason & Co.
1851
The Royal Collection

Queen Victoria had quite a grand time at the Great Exhibition of 1851, spending over £200 on table silver alone. She had a particular fondness for the silver-work of Elkington, Mason & Co., and purchased several items at their exhibit. Among those items was this especially regal standing salt cellar which became known in the Royal Household as “The Royal Neptune Salt.”


Crafted in fine, partly gilt sterling, the base features figures of horses which appear to be rising from the sea. They support a column of draped nymphs who hold the cellar aloft. The receptacle itself is inspired by seashells. The centerpiece of the object is an exquisitely worked figure of Neptune, representing, as one of Victoria’s courtiers pointed out, “the briny wave whence the contents of his vessel were to be derived.”

This was a period during which great detail was afforded even the simplest and practical pieces of tableware. So, it was only fitting that something as important as the salt cellar—symbolic of the owner’s status—should be given such attention. Often, a person’s position in society could be judged by his placement at the dinner table. Those closer to the salt cellar wielded more power than those who were seated farther away, thus giving rise to the phrase, “Above the salt.”