A container with a rounded handle, pierced lid, and small rounded finial. The letters “HDI” are engraved on the right side and a list of text is engraved on the left side.
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Samuel Vernon

Pepperbox

Maker

Samuel Vernon (American, 1683-1737)

Title

Pepperbox

Year

ca. 1720

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

silver

Geography

Place Made: Newport; Place Made: Rhode Island

Dimensions

8.9 x 7.6 cm (3 1/2 x 3 inches) (overall)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Bequest of Daniel Howland

Object Number

2003.135.2

Type

Exhibition History

Trading Earth
Ceramics, Commodities, and Commerce
Apr 09, 2022 – Aug 03, 2025

Label copy

Served from various ceramic and metal containers, salt is one of the five basic tastes, and essential for normal function of the human body—although too much salt can also cause health issues. Underscoring salt’s role in the history of world commerce, the word salary comes from the Latin sal, meaning salt, as Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt.

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Samuel Vernon (American, 1683-1737)
Pepperbox, ca. 1720
Silver
8.9 x 7.6 cm (3 1/2 x 3 inches) (overall)
Bequest of Daniel Howland 2003.135.2

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