Standing Salt
1572-1573 (hallmarked)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
In England the relative value of salt and the necessity for its use from the Middle Ages gave this commodity a place of honour at the table. The container used to hold it, the standing salt, thus gained social importance as well as providing a practical function. The standing salt was placed upon the table as a decorative centre piece. The surface of this particular example is decorated with stamped, chased and embossed decoration. It is surmounted by a warrior figure that holds a spear and a shield.
For those who could afford such a luxury, salt cellars (often referred to as salts) were the most common household item after spoons and cups. These salts also carried symbolic meaning, and royal goldsmiths' accounts show that they were purchased as christening gifts for the children of courtiers. The inclusion of salts in lists of heirloom plate also demonstrates that these were considered to be of relative personal significance.
Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.
For those who could afford such a luxury, salt cellars (often referred to as salts) were the most common household item after spoons and cups. These salts also carried symbolic meaning, and royal goldsmiths' accounts show that they were purchased as christening gifts for the children of courtiers. The inclusion of salts in lists of heirloom plate also demonstrates that these were considered to be of relative personal significance.
Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.
Object details
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| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 3 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Silver-gilt with stamped, chased and embossed ornament |
| Brief description | Silver-gilt standing salt, London hallmarks for 1572-3 |
| Physical description | A cylindrical standing salt with a domed foot and a reversed domed section at the top of the body. The foot is stamped with bands of ovolo ornament and dentils around its border; the domed section is embossed with three masks, strapwork and sprays of fruit. The body has been chased in a similar manner between raised ornamental bands and stamped circles. The reversed domed section to the top of the body is embossed with fluting, flowers and panels of raised beading. The saltcellar is plain but has been engraved with fruit and strapwork. The domed cover has a similarly engraved border and a wide flange that has been stamped with egg-and-dart ornament. This is embossed in the same manner as the foot and has a finial with three applied S-scroll brackets, surmounted by the figure of a warrior holding a spear and shield. |
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| Credit line | The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London |
| Object history | Provenance Acquired by Arthur Gilbert from S.J. Phillips Ltd, London, 1982 |
| Historical context | In England the standing salt fulfilled a social and a practical function. The necessity for salt from the Middle Ages meant that it demanded a place at the dining table. The rarity of the commodity resulted in its container gaining social importance and being of a size much larger than actually needed for the salt it contained. This particular salt is known as a drum salt and appeared during the middle of the 16th century, along with the sqaure-section pedestal salt. By the end of the 16th century, the bell salt was far more popular. Nevertheless, the standing salt prevailed in traditional institutions, such as Oxford and Cambridge colleges and London livery guilds, where the ceremonial function of dining continued. |
| Production | Maker's mark possibly an eagle |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | In England the relative value of salt and the necessity for its use from the Middle Ages gave this commodity a place of honour at the table. The container used to hold it, the standing salt, thus gained social importance as well as providing a practical function. The standing salt was placed upon the table as a decorative centre piece. The surface of this particular example is decorated with stamped, chased and embossed decoration. It is surmounted by a warrior figure that holds a spear and a shield. For those who could afford such a luxury, salt cellars (often referred to as salts) were the most common household item after spoons and cups. These salts also carried symbolic meaning, and royal goldsmiths' accounts show that they were purchased as christening gifts for the children of courtiers. The inclusion of salts in lists of heirloom plate also demonstrates that these were considered to be of relative personal significance. Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996. |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | LOAN:GILBERT.526:1 to 3-2008 |
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| Record created | June 26, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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