A cream colored triangular salt cellar with three holes on the top with decorative floral decorations.
A cream colored triangular salt cellar with three holes on the top with decorative floral decorations.
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Unknown Maker, French

Salt Cellar

Maker

Unknown Maker, French

Culture

French

Title

Salt Cellar

Year

early 1700s

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

faience

Dimensions

5.1 cm (2 inches) (height)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Bequest of Martha B. Lisle

Object Number

67.250

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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Tombstone

Unknown Maker, French
Salt Cellar, early 1700s
Earthenware with tin glaze, polychrome metal oxides, and glaze
5.1 cm (2 inches) (height)
Bequest of Martha B. Lisle 67.250

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