Bronzes often exist in a number of versions, made over many decades or even centuries. This is achieved through a variety of means, such as changes in the wax, new moulds taken from an existing bronze or the reuse of the existing model. With bronze a model could easily be reproduced and adapted. The original model for this salt cellars has been attributed to the important Veronese sculptor Girolamo Campagna (1549–1626), but it may have been created in one of the Venetian foundries. The shape made it easy to pick up and pass around a group of diners. The model became very popular and was frequently reproduced over the following centuries.

Girolamo Campagna (1549-1626) was one of the most important sculptors working in Venice and the surrounding region in the late 16th century and the early 17th. Although his older rival Alessandro Vittoria was a more versatile artist, Campagna’s talents centred on a remarkable gift for religious statuary. In this he was unrivalled in Venice and scarcely equalled elsewhere in Italy. Among his most impressive achievements are the high altars for the Venetian churches of Il Redentore and S Giorgio Maggiore. His brother Giuseppe Campagna (d 1626) was also a sculptor and assisted him.