The material culture associated with childbirth in Renaissance Italy was rich and complex. The demographic tensions inherent in a society bound to dynastic success yet afflicted by decades of plague epidemics resulted in a ritual of childbirth that was intended to affirm, comfort and encourage. As the production of maiolica flourished in Italy during the sixteenth century, ceramic wares, painted with birth-related images, became integral parts of the material culture necessary to this ritual. The images on these ceramic vessels were often concealed on the underside of lids or within bowls; to be seen only by the mother and those most intimately connected with the event.
The scodella da impagliata was a term used to describe a composite set of interlocking maiolica wares for pregnant women or new mothers. This salt, likely formed the finial of one such set. The salt within could be used to season the broth, or other specially prepared foods, contained in the bowls below.