Accession Number

1986.008.0610a

Creation Date

circa 1600

Description

10.5 (base w/ foot) x 8.9 (top) x 5.2 (height) cm. Pitted and absent section of bowl. Plain molded-circular form, originally raised on three stylized fan shell feet; two feet are separated. See also 1986.008.0610b, c.

Exhibition Label

Case Caption (2023): N/A
Object Caption (2023):

Salt Cellars
Silver gilt and silver, (possibly Peru, c.1600)
Gifts of Dr. Edwin Davis, Jamestown Inc., T.S.I Liquidation Trust
1986.008.0610a, 1989.002.0004a, 1999.007.0003a

Salt was a precious commodity during the 1600s and the lavish display of salt implied the wealth of the owner.

Of these salt cellars, the largest would have been known as a “great salt.” It would have been placed on the high table, next to the host, who would share the condiment with his most important guests. Great salts were often exchanged as New Year's gifts among the nobility and passed on as heirlooms. Although salts frequently appear in household inventories of the period, few physical examples survive today.

Simpler in design, the smaller salts would have been objects of prestige and value in the home of a well-to-do colonist. Originally, they would have been gilded and decorated with colorful enamels.