Terms and conditions of use
Pair of salt cellars
(1750-1752)
Medium
porcelain (soft-paste)
Measurements
(a) 7.5 × 11.4 × 8.5 cm
(b) 7.2 × 11.9 × 8.9 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Patricia Begg OAM Bequest, 2024
Gallery location
17th & 18th Century Decorative Arts & Paintings Gallery
Level 2, NGV International
About this work
Salt had been a valuable and expensive commodity since ancient times. From the medieval period down to the eighteenth century, large ceremonial standing salts in gold and silver represented markers of status on British royal and elite dining tables. Those at the table knew their status by reference to their position in relation to the salt. It remained an important indicator of wealth on the eighteenth-century dining table, and receptacles were often designed to ‘present’ the salt in a conspicuous fashion, literally on a pedestal. The marine reference in these salts is emphasised by the scallop-shell receptacle placed on a shell-encrusted pedestal.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
London, England
Accession Number
2024.266.a-b
Department
International Decorative Arts