Image

An oval white salt container with blue and gilded decorations.

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Unknown Maker, Chinese export

Trencher Salt

Now On View

Description

Maker

Culture

Chinese export

Title

Trencher Salt

Year

1790-1800

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

porcelain, glaze

Geography

Place Made: China

Dimensions

Length: 9.5 cm (3 3/4 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin

Object Number

58.024.20

Type

Ceramics

Exhibition History

Trading Earth

Ceramics, Commodities, and Commerce

Apr 09, 2022 – Jul 20, 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.

Decorative Arts and Design Galleries

Apr 15, 2014

Mrs. Alexis B. Hafken Farago Bridge Gallery

Jan 02, 2014

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

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Chinese export

Trencher Salt, 1790-1800

Porcelain with underglaze blue, glaze, and gilding

Length: 9.5 cm (3 3/4 inches)

Gift of Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin 58.024.20

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