Sculpture of the Day: The Jingdezhen Salt, 1760-1770

Salt Dish
German, 1760-1770
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Here’s a rather unusual salt cellar/dish which was made in Germany between 1760 and 1770. Decorated in colored enamels, it incorporates a kneeling figure wearing a turban, blue robe and red cloak as well as a small tree trunk which supports the salt container.

This appears to be a copy of a Meissen figure which was modeled in 1746.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: The Crayfish Salt Cellar, 1752

The Victoria & Albert Museum

The artifact itself, a salt cellar, is certainly not unusual, however, the form it takes is quite rare and unique. This salt cellar is crafted in the form of a crayfish, rocks and shells. Made of soft-paste porcelain, the crayfish is modeled and colored a naturalistic taupe while the shells and rocks are colored white, mauve, red, green and coral.


Salt cellars served both a useful and ornamental purpose, but also a symbolic one. Refined salt was quite a commodity and was placed in a vessel befitting its importance. The cellar was placed at the head of the table close to the head of the household. As I've mentioned before, persons seated nearest the salt cellar, “above the salt,” were the most honored guests at the table. From the medieval period until the Seventeenth Century, salt cellars were highly decorative, but by the Eighteenth Century, this practice had begun to be observed only in the wealthiest households who could afford the precious metals used for these opulent containers.

This cellar was made in 1752 and is unusually decorative for the date, especially for one made from porcelain. This is the work of Nicholas Sprimont (1716-1771) who made crayfish salts in silver before founding the celebrated, high-end Chelsea porcelain factory. A similar set of salts was made between 1742-1743, for a marine-themed table setting commissioned by Frederick, Prince of Wales.

Sculpture of the Day: The Jingdezhen Salt, 1760-1770

Salt Dish
German, 1760-1770
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Here’s a rather unusual salt cellar/dish which was made in Germany between 1760 and 1770. Decorated in colored enamels, it incorporates a kneeling figure wearing a turban, blue robe and red cloak as well as a small tree trunk which supports the salt container.

This appears to be a copy of a Meissen figure which was modeled in 1746.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: The Crayfish Salt Cellar, 1752

The Victoria & Albert Museum

The artifact itself, a salt cellar, is certainly not unusual, however, the form it takes is quite rare and unique. This salt cellar is crafted in the form of a crayfish, rocks and shells. Made of soft-paste porcelain, the crayfish is modeled and colored a naturalistic taupe while the shells and rocks are colored white, mauve, red, green and coral.


Salt cellars served both a useful and ornamental purpose, but also a symbolic one. Refined salt was quite a commodity and was placed in a vessel befitting its importance. The cellar was placed at the head of the table close to the head of the household. As I've mentioned before, persons seated nearest the salt cellar, “above the salt,” were the most honored guests at the table. From the medieval period until the Seventeenth Century, salt cellars were highly decorative, but by the Eighteenth Century, this practice had begun to be observed only in the wealthiest households who could afford the precious metals used for these opulent containers.

This cellar was made in 1752 and is unusually decorative for the date, especially for one made from porcelain. This is the work of Nicholas Sprimont (1716-1771) who made crayfish salts in silver before founding the celebrated, high-end Chelsea porcelain factory. A similar set of salts was made between 1742-1743, for a marine-themed table setting commissioned by Frederick, Prince of Wales.

The Home Beautiful: The Fontana Salt Cellar, 1575-1580

The Fontana Salt
1575-1580
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Salt cellars held an important place in the home of the wealthy well into the Nineteenth Century. Salt, as hard as it is to imagine today, was a precious commodity and, because of that, elaborate containers were made to hold it. The salt cellar was placed on the table nearest to the head of the household. Those seated closest to the salt were the most honored guests—hence the phrase, “above the salt.” These cellars took a variety of ornate forms and were made from a host of interesting materials.


Here, we see a salt cellar from Italy in the Sixteenth Century. It is boat-shaped and molded in relief, with a goat's head above a lion's mask at either end. Constructed of tin-glazed earthenware, it is polychrome painted with reclining figures of Neptune and Amphitrite, a Triton and a Nereid. In the well, above the initials AZ, a shield with a cut scroll-work border, is rendered with a helmet and mantling. Though the imagery seems strange, it is actually quite commonplace since, as salt was derived from the sea, sea-gods were thought to be appropriate decorative elements.


This sort of colorful tin-glazed earthenware was known in Italy as “maiolica.” Urbino was a famous center for the manufacture of maiolica and it is believed that this salt cellar came from a workshop in that area.

Unusual Artifacts: The Crayfish Salt Cellar, 1752

The Victoria & Albert Museum

The artifact itself, a salt cellar, is certainly not unusual, however, the form it takes is quite rare and unique. This salt cellar is crafted in the form of a crayfish, rocks and shells. Made of soft-paste porcelain, the crayfish is modeled and colored a naturalistic taupe while the shells and rocks are colored white, mauve, red, green and coral.


Salt cellars served both a useful and ornamental purpose, but also a symbolic one. Refined salt was quite a commodity and was placed in a vessel befitting its importance. The cellar was placed at the head of the table close to the head of the household. As I've mentioned before, persons seated nearest the salt cellar, “above the salt,” were the most honored guests at the table. From the medieval period until the Seventeenth Century, salt cellars were highly decorative, but by the Eighteenth Century, this practice had begun to be observed only in the wealthiest households who could afford the precious metals used for these opulent containers.

This cellar was made in 1752 and is unusually decorative for the date, especially for one made from porcelain. This is the work of Nicholas Sprimont (1716-1771) who made crayfish salts in silver before founding the celebrated, high-end Chelsea porcelain factory. A similar set of salts was made between 1742-1743, for a marine-themed table setting commissioned by Frederick, Prince of Wales.

Sculpture of the Day: The Jingdezhen Salt, 1760-1770

Salt Dish
German, 1760-1770
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Here’s a rather unusual salt cellar/dish which was made in Germany between 1760 and 1770. Decorated in colored enamels, it incorporates a kneeling figure wearing a turban, blue robe and red cloak as well as a small tree trunk which supports the salt container.

This appears to be a copy of a Meissen figure which was modeled in 1746.

Card of the Day: Queen Elizabeth I's Salt Cellar

One of the more obscure and little-known objects of the Coronation Regalia is pictured in the fiftieth and final card of the Churchman Cigarette Company’s 1935 Silver Jubilee Series. Here, we see “Queen Elizabeth’s Salt,” which is also known as “The Great Salt” and is believed to have been a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I. This is actually one of nearly a dozen such “salts” which are housed along with the Crown Jewels. However, this one, due to its unique shape, is thought to be the most magnificent.


The oldest salt cellar of the eleven in the Jewel Tower at the Tower of Londo, “The Great Salt” certainly dates from the reign of Elizabeth I. It is thought to be a model of the White Tower. It has been used at the coronation banquets of most monarchs from the time of King Charles II.

Now, that’s it for our “Card of the Day” feature. For awhile, anyway. I’ve got my eyes open for more monarchy-related cigarette cards, but, to be honest, I already own and have shared with you most of the sets that were produced. Can you believe that we’ve already looked at 120 of them? Still, if I find more, I’ll snatch them up.

In the meantime, I’ve got some new nifty things in queue waiting to take the place of the cards. So, tomorrow, we begin our “Obscure Book of the Day” feature. This feature will take you through my collection of odd Royalty-related ephemera from actual historical Coronation and Jubilee Celebration Programs to vintage children’s books about various monarchs from the past, to, even, strange magazines about the love lives of Britain’s Royal Family. There’s a lot of this stuff on my shelves and it’s all very interesting. So, get ready for a few weeks of fun ahead.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: The Fontana Salt Cellar, 1575-1580

The Fontana Salt
1575-1580
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Salt cellars held an important place in the home of the wealthy well into the Nineteenth Century. Salt, as hard as it is to imagine today, was a precious commodity and, because of that, elaborate containers were made to hold it. The salt cellar was placed on the table nearest to the head of the household. Those seated closest to the salt were the most honored guests—hence the phrase, “above the salt.” These cellars took a variety of ornate forms and were made from a host of interesting materials.


Here, we see a salt cellar from Italy in the Sixteenth Century. It is boat-shaped and molded in relief, with a goat's head above a lion's mask at either end. Constructed of tin-glazed earthenware, it is polychrome painted with reclining figures of Neptune and Amphitrite, a Triton and a Nereid. In the well, above the initials AZ, a shield with a cut scroll-work border, is rendered with a helmet and mantling. Though the imagery seems strange, it is actually quite commonplace since, as salt was derived from the sea, sea-gods were thought to be appropriate decorative elements.


This sort of colorful tin-glazed earthenware was known in Italy as “maiolica.” Urbino was a famous center for the manufacture of maiolica and it is believed that this salt cellar came from a workshop in that area.