Salt Cellar thumbnail 1
Salt Cellar thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Ceramics, Room 137, The Curtain Foundation Gallery

Salt Cellar

1540-45 (made)
Place of origin

The salt-cellar shows a scene from the story of Alpheus and Arethusa, from Ovid's Metamorphoses, book V. Alpheus, dressed as a Roman soldier, is persuing Arethusa whom the goddess Diana is hiding in a cloud. On the left is a reclining river-god resting on an urn.


Object details

Object type
Materials and techniques
Tin-glazed earthenware with painted decoration
Brief description
Salt-cellar with the arms of Hörwarth and Schellenberger of Augsburg, possibly workshop of Guido di Merlino, Urbino, 1540-45
Physical description
Circular salt cellar with shallow well. Allover painted, figural decoration. There are three scars around the side, indicating that this salt originally had three small handles which must have broken off.

Dimensions
  • Diameter: 15.5cm
Credit line
Bequeathed by George Salting, Esq.
Object history
Whitehead Collection; Salting Collection
Summary
The salt-cellar shows a scene from the story of Alpheus and Arethusa, from Ovid's Metamorphoses, book V. Alpheus, dressed as a Roman soldier, is persuing Arethusa whom the goddess Diana is hiding in a cloud. On the left is a reclining river-god resting on an urn.
Associated objects
Bibliographic reference
Check: Silvia Glaser: (Hg.) Italienische Fayencen der Renaissance - Ihre Spuren in internationalen Museumssammlungen, Nürnberg: Germanisches Nationalmuseum 2004
Other number
921 - Rackham (1977)
Collection
Accession number
C.2276-1910

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Record createdNovember 4, 2002
Record URL
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