Not on display

Salt Cellar

1680-1750 (made)
Place of origin
France (made)

Salt cellar or condiment holder made of colourless glass. Crizzling. The are four moulded recepticles in the shape of pecten shells, three at the base, resting on applied feet, and one at the top. The shells all have a pontil mark inside. The stem is in the shape of a baluster with three applied, vertical, ribbed threads. Underneath the baluster there is a rough hole, where the extreme bottom was probably damaged.

Object details

Object type
Salt cellar
Materials and techniques
Glass
Brief description
Glass salt cellar, crizzling, possibly France, 1680-1725
Physical description
Salt cellar or condiment holder made of colourless glass. Crizzling. The are four moulded recepticles in the shape of pecten shells, three at the base, resting on applied feet, and one at the top. The shells all have a pontil mark inside. The stem is in the shape of a baluster with three applied, vertical, ribbed threads. Underneath the baluster there is a rough hole, where the extreme bottom was probably damaged.
Dimensions
  • Height: 17.5cm
conversion size only
Style
EUROPE
Object history
Purchased through J.F. Riaño, from the Don Bonifacio Riaño Collection
Bibliographic references
  • P. Kleij and C. Scheffer-Mud, 'Achttiende eeuws tafelglas van de Hogendijk en de Vaart in Zaandam: Arm en rijk aan vaart en dijk', in: Symposium Historisch Gebruiksglas 2016, Bussum 2017, pp. 30-34, fig. 4, 5 and p. 44, cat. 11. Shows a very similar object, excavated from a wealthy mechand's house on the Hogendijk in Zaandam in the Netherlands. The excavation context has a date range from 1700 to 1750 but, as this is a highly unusual luxury object, the author states that it might well have been an older 'treasured' object dating from the second half of the seventeenth century. The excavated salt is made of lead glass. It has a ring with twisted-rib surface instead of a fourth container on top, like our salt has.
  • Bernard Perrot (1640-1709) Secrets et chef-d'oeuvre des verreries royales d'Orleans, 2010. cata 54-56 for similar bauluter shape with applied, milled glass threads. 54 and 56 also contain Lead oxide.Cats 64-65 for similar shell-shaped receptacles.
Other number
2157 - Glass gallery number
Collection
Ceramics Collection
Accession number
283-1873

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdDecember 13, 1997
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O747/salt-cellar/
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest