THE SALT CELLAR
Early salt cellars--The standing salt--The hour-glass form--The
bell-shaped salt--The seventeenth century--octagonal and circular
types--The eighteenth century--trencher salts--Tripod salts--The
openwork style with glass liner--The evolution of form in the
salt cellar of the later periods.
In the old days when costume determined the gentle from the simple,
when demarcations of rank were definitely pronounced, when men wore
feathers in their hats and swords at their sides, when retainers and
menials sat at the same board with their lord and lady, the customs
of the table were not our customs. It was only in Elizabeth’s day,
when dinner was served at a long table, that the oaken floor replaced
rushes. The diners threw bones to the dogs, and although sweet sounds
came from the musician’s gallery, the scene one may recall is one
rather of barbaric splendour than of luxurious refinement. To him who
loves to quicken the dry bones of collecting into something pulsating
with life, the salt cellar provides a delight which is not easily
equalled. It was an honoured guest at every feast. It was the social
thermometer which marked the exact degree of rank of the sitters.
Persons of distinction sat above the salt, and between it and the head
of the table. Those who sat below the salt were dependents and inferior
guests.
If only these salt cellars reproduced as illustrations could give
tongue to the secrets they caught in whisper from the upper end of
the table before the withdrawing chamber, prototype of our modern
drawing-room, became a necessity! If walls had ears, and if the salt
cellars of Tudor England or of the stormy days of the Stuarts could
have been fitted with American gramophone wax cylinders, the by-ways of
secret history would be less tangled to the historian.
Had this been the case, modern millionaires would have been in
competition with one another to secure precious records, as it is
only a rich man who can afford to gather together a representative
collection of old salt cellars. But for all that, the collector with
small means, who is less ambitious, may obtain specimens that are of
exceptional interest, and in his quest he may, even in these days when
collectors scour Europe, come across an example which may be antique.
As may be imagined, these “salts” are very varied in character. They
may be of silver, of earthenware, or of ivory. They may be of simple
form with little to distinguish them artistically, or, on the other
hand, of such intricate design and rare workmanship as to make them
superb examples of the art of the jeweller or silversmith.
[Illustration: STANDING SALT CELLAR. GOTHIC PERIOD. _c._ 1500.
Hour-glass form. Height 9ⁱ/₄ in. From a drawing by De la Motte.
(_At Christ’s College, Cambridge._)]
Take, for instance, the salt cellar sold at Christie’s in 1902 for
£3,000. It was only 7⁵/₈ inches in height. It is silver-gilt, bearing
the London hall-mark for 1577, and the maker’s mark, a hooded falcon,
probably the work of Thomas Bampton, of the “Falcon.” The receptacle
for the salt is of rock crystal, and the base stands upon claw feet,
which are of crystal. The cover is square, having a circular dome top,
above which stands a delicately modelled figure of a cherub as an apex.
A standing salt of the time of James I, with the London hall-mark for
1613, was sold at Christie’s in 1903 for £1,150. The height of this is
11³/₈ inches, and beyond its special value on account of its age and
rarity, its form is not possessed of greater elegance than many a lowly
pepper caster whose presence it would scorn on the same board.
From the rare Henri II majolica of the sixteenth century to the humble
trencher salt, the range of salt cellars is a comprehensive one.
The most sumptuous examples, set in a magnificence of chased design
exhibiting the finest craftsmanship of the goldsmith and silversmith,
command high prices on account of their rarity, and old salts of
exceptional character place their collecting in the hands of the
elect whose cabinets are known all over the world. But there are many
lesser examples of the silversmith’s work, and it is not yet too late
to acquire pieces suggestive of days when at the table “the jest was
crowned at the upper end and the lower half made echo.”
The City Companies possess many fine examples, and among the college
plate at Oxford and Cambridge there are many unequalled specimens of
the high-standing old salts. There is the silver-gilt plain salt
presented by Roger Dunster to the Clothworkers’ Company in 1641, and
another a drum-shaped salt, silver-gilt, the “Guift of Daniel Waldo,
Clothworker, Esquire, an^{o} 1660.” Then there is the circular salt
and cover, 22 inches high, of the Goldsmiths’ Company, with the date
letter of the year 1601, which was “the guift of Richard Rogers,
Comptroller of His Maj^{ties} Mynt” ... “desiring the same may bee
used at their solemne meetings and to bee remembered as a good
benefactor, anno d^{ni} 1632.” This salt has a body of glass, round
which are two silver-gilt collars in chased and repoussé work. The
Goldsmiths’ Company have other salts, notably one the “Gift of Thomas
Seymour” in 1693. The Haberdashers’ Company have a circular salt the
gift of Sir Hugh Hammersley in 1636. The Innholders’ Company have two
circular salts the gift of John Wetterworth in 1626, and a circular
salt, silver-gilt, 16 inches high, with a dome raised on four scrolls,
terminated by an obelisk, the gift of Anne, widow of John Sweete, 1635.
The Ironmongers’ Company have two fine silver salts, parcel gilt,
shaped like hour-glasses, having six-foiled sides, in three of which is
foliage engraved. The date of one is 1518 and of the other 1522. The
Skinners’ Company have a silver-gilt octagonal salt 9 inches high, the
gift of Ben Albin, a member, in 1676. The Mercers’ Company salts we are
enabled to illustrate by courteous permission. The Vintners’ Company
have a fine silver-gilt salt, the gift of John Powel, Master of the
Company, in 1702. It is like a square casket in form, with panels
richly decorated in bold relief with figures, and the cover surmounted
by an urn upon which stands a female figure.
[Illustration: ELIZABETHAN BELL-SHAPED SALT CELLAR.
Having compartments for salt and spices. On three ball feet. London
1601. Decorated with designs of roses in flat chasing in upright panels.
(_By courtesy of Messrs. Crichton Brothers._)]
Some rare examples are in the possession of corporate bodies. There is
the silver-gilt salt and cover, 15¹/₄ inches high, belonging to the
Corporation of Norwich. This is, as the inscription indicates, “The
Gyfte of Petar Reade Esqviar.” The plate marks are a roman capital
letter D, the arms of Norwich, and a cross mound within a lozenge. It
was made at Norwich, and its date is not later than 1568, for Peter
Reade died in that year.
Then there is the wonderful Ashburnham salt cellar and cover of the
time of Henry VII, the earliest standing salt, 12¹/₂ inches high,
bearing the London hall-mark of the year 1508, and the maker’s mark, a
rising sun. This was bought by Messrs. Crichton Brothers for £5,600.
Later salt cellars, while still being collectors’ pieces, depart from
the older form when “below the salt” had no meaning. The old silver
salt cellars of Queen Anne and Georgian days are another story. The
elegance of form and the quaint reticence of design make them desirable
acquisitions for any modern dining-table.
During the past twenty years, when the furniture of Chippendale and
of Sheraton has been collected with such avidity to refurnish old
homes and to give age to modern mansions, the demand for old silver
accessories of the table has been equally great. In consequence,
spurious silver of later date, with the old hall-marks cunningly
inserted, has appeared in great quantities. As a warning to the
collector of “old salts,” it cannot too strongly be urged that in his
earliest flights he should consult a friend who has passed through the
same stages before him. The same advice is, unfortunately, necessary in
connection with collecting old china and old furniture. The literature
of these two subjects is more ready to hand, and there are many popular
handbooks designed to set the feet of the novice in collecting on
the right path. In silver collecting there is always a sure road. In
furniture or in china there is no puissant company of furniture experts
or china moralists. The buyer may be advised to use his common sense
and demand that the dealer put on the invoice the exact description of
the goods he is selling. If after expert advice the purchaser finds
he has been deceived, he has his remedy in a court of law. But with
silver, there are the hall-marks determined by law for the protection
of the public. The Goldsmiths’ Company exist to safeguard the public
against fraud, and their honourable traditions extend, as we have seen,
over four hundred years. If any buyer has any doubt as to the London
marks or the provincial marks on a piece of silver he has purchased,
it is easy to establish their authenticity. If, for instance, the mark
is a London one, the Goldsmiths’ Company would obviously be pleased to
discover the identity of any one counterfeiting their ancient marks.
They have statutory powers to inflict fines on persons convicted of
such malpractices, and in the public interest they would naturally
prosecute inquiries as to how false marks came to be placed on
silver purporting to be assayed by an old and honourable company.
[Illustration: CIRCULAR SALT CELLAR.
Silver-gilt. Dated 1638, and having London hall-mark of that date.
Greatest height 6³/₁₆ in.
Engraved with the arms of the Mercers’ Company and the arms of John
Dethick, the donor.
(See marks illustrated p. 365.)
(_By courtesy of the Mercers’ Company._)]
You may search the chronological tables of the statutes through and
through, and you will find nothing relative to punishments specially
laid down to meet the case of fabricators of old furniture or old
china, but in regard to forging old silver marks there are a multitude
of protective measures. There is reform needed in the laws relating to
silver, and urgently needed. We offer this suggestion to some Member of
Parliament bursting to distinguish himself. It was urgently recommended
by the Committee of 1856, and a Bill was prepared by the Commissioners
of Inland Revenue in 1857, but nothing came of it. The Select Committee
of the House of Commons, again, in 1879 made further recommendations,
but no restrictive measure has ever been laid before Parliament.
“There is much to say for the old demand of the Goldsmiths’ Company
for further powers of enforcing the law than the mere right to sue for
penalties. Sales by auction now take place with practical impunity, no
matter how spurious and debased the goods may be, and there is evidence
and to spare to show that the general sense of the trade and the public
is in favour of the preservations of the old guarantee.”
The study of salt cellars suggests a flying word on the salt spoon. To
quote from an essay by Addison, dated 1711, the _Spectator_ says, in
an account he gives of dining with a fine lady: “In the midst of these
my Musings she desires me to reach her a little Salt upon the point
of my Knife, which I did in such Trepidation and hurry of Obedience,
that I let it drop by the way, at which she immediately startled
and said it fell towards her. Upon this I looked very blank; and,
observing the Concern of the whole Table, began to consider myself with
some confusion, as a person that had brought some Disaster upon the
Family.” This is a pretty picture of eighteenth century “high life.”
The superstition concerning the spilling of salt is still with us, but
helping salt with a knife is no longer in fashion in “polite society.”
In general salt cellars may be classified as follows, commencing with
the Standing Salt, with its determination of rank as to those who sat
above the salt and those who sat below it:--
=Standing Salts.=--The earliest are shaped like hour-glasses. These
belong to the fifteenth and first half of sixteenth century.
Cylindrical and casket forms, with rich ornamentation in
repoussé work, with chased figures and surmounted by cover with
standing figure, are found in the sixteenth century. _E.g._ the
Standing Salt, part of the Stoke Prior treasure, dated 1563 (at
the Victoria and Albert Museum).
The Bell-shaped Salt is of the late sixteenth and early
seventeenth century, and the tall Steeple Salt belongs to the
same period. The above types often had compartments in tiers
reserved for spices.
[Illustration: OCTAGONAL SALT CELLAR.
With four guards. London, 1679.
Having the arms of the company and inscribed “_Ex dono Henrici
Sumner. Mr._” This is known as the Sumner Salt, the gift of the
Master of that date.
Greatest height 8³/₈ in.
(For marks see p. 357.)
(_By courtesy of the Mercers’ Company._)]
The circular and octagonal forms of lesser height, with three
and sometimes four guards with scroll ends, belong to the
seventeenth century.
=Trencher Salts.=--These were in use contemporaneously with the tall
standing salts, either on less formal occasions or at the lower
end of the table below _the_ salt.
Early forms in the first half of the seventeenth century are
circular (1603) or triangular (1630). These were diminutive,
measuring only some 3 inches across, and being sometimes only 1
inch high.
=Eighteenth-century Salts.=--A great variety of form is apparent,
and many styles succeeded each other, disappearing only to be
revived a quarter of a century later. Circular (1698-1710),
oval, octagonal (1715-40), tripod (1750). Circular with three
feet; oblong and octagonal, slightly taller (1775), with
pierced work on four feet, and with glass liner. Oblong, plain,
with four feet. Tureen-shaped or boat-shaped, plain, with
swelling foot, sometimes with rings as handles, or with two
handles (1780). Shell-shaped salts in vogue 1788; circular,
vase-shaped, with lions’ heads and tripod feet (1798).
=Early Nineteenth-century Salts.=--George IV and William IV styles,
a reversion to some of the older types. The tureen and the
circular-shaped salt, with four or three feet (1820-1830).
Circular bowls on stands, with tripod and elaborate feet, the
fashion (1810-1830). Many pieces betray classical influence.
The illustrations of the various types of salt cellars should be
sufficient to indicate to the reader the great field which is open to
him. The examples range from the rarer earlier periods to the beginning
of the nineteenth century. The descriptions given of the successive
stages in fashion and in design should stimulate the interest of the
student in regard to the undercurrents of evolution progressive, and
often retrogressive, through three centuries of the silversmith’s art.
The standing salt, in hour-glass form, of the Gothic period at Christ’s
College, Cambridge, illustrated (page 143), is in date about 1500. Its
height is 9¹/₄ inches. It belongs to that great period of Henry VII.
It is contemporary with the magnificent chapel in Westminster Abbey.
It has survived the spoliation of the days of Henry VIII. Its perfect
symmetry, its delicate ornament, its exquisite grace delight the eye.
There is nothing redundant, nothing that calls for amendment. It stands
as a perfect creation of the English silversmith. The unwritten, and
never to be written, history of such a piece is not the least which
appeals to us nowadays. We may revere the exquisite craft of the
designer. But there is a tribute we owe to the sagacious custodians
who, possibly in fear of death, preserved this for posterity. Its
hiding-places, its narrow escapes, its glorious emerging into the
light of day, to occupy a niche, almost sacred, in modern regard, these
are happenings that cannot be chronicled. As an historic relic, a page
remaining from the old history of these realms, such an example claims
adoration.
A fine bell salt is illustrated (page 147). It is on three ball feet.
It has the London mark, the letter D in Lombardic capitals, for 1601.
It is decorated in upright panels, with flat chasing with floral
design of roses. It is constructed in compartments for salt and spices
and pepper. These bell salts belong to the end of the sixteenth and
beginning of the seventeenth century; they are mostly on three feet.
At the Dunn-Gardner sale, in 1902, £600 was paid for a specimen. They
stand, in point of time, between the hour-glass form and the steeple
salts. Few appear to have been made, or, at any rate, few are now in
existence, and in consequence they bring great prices on account of
their rarity.
The ring at the top is noticeable, mainly as the prototype of the
ring-handle of cruets, with the same contents now in use three hundred
years afterwards. And the ball foot, peculiar to the silversmith as
something especially applicable to his technique is still retained in
silver cruets of to-day.
The circular Stuart salt cellar comes straight from the days of Charles
I. It has the date letter for 1638. See Marks illustrated page 365.
This salt stood on the Mercers’ Company table in 1642--eventful year,
when Charles was misguided enough to go in person to the House of
Commons with his guards to arrest the five members. This was the signal
for the Civil War. The salt cellar we now see was hurriedly put in the
vaults of the Mercers’ Company. The trained-bands of London were up.
The city declared for the Parliament, and Charles raised his standard
at Nottingham. John Dethick, the donor, may have fought in the civic
cause. Here is the salt he gave to his Company in those stirring days,
an illustration of which we are enabled to produce by the courtesy of
the Mercers’ Company. It has three handles with scroll ends. It is an
important piece. It is silver-gilt, and engraved with the arms of the
Mercers’ Company and the arms and crest of John Dethick.
The octagonal salt illustrated (p. 155) shows the style of Charles II.
It has four handles with scroll ends. These handles were for supporting
a napkin which was placed around the salt. It is of the year 1679,
and the marks are illustrated on page 357. It is inscribed, “_Ex dono
henrici Sumner M^{r}._” This is known as the Sumner Salt, and Henry
Sumner, the donor, was Master of the Mercers’ Company at that date. Its
diameter is 9¹/₂ inches and its greatest height is 8³/₈ inches. This is
the year of the _Habeas Corpus Act_. This Act defines the liberties of
the subject. All prisoners except those charged with felony or treason
can demand that they be brought before a judge to test the validity of
their detention. All persons charged with felony or treason must be
tried at the next sessions or else admitted to bail, or, failing this,
be discharged. No person could be recommitted for the same offence
and no person imprisoned beyond the sea. Heavy penalties were imposed
on those who violated this Act.
[Illustration: SPECIMENS OF EARTHENWARE SALT CELLARS.
LAMBETH DELFT SALT CELLAR.
Late seventeenth century. Height 4¹/₂ in.
ROUEN FAIENCE SALT CELLAR.
Early eighteenth century. Height 3 in.
(_In collection of author._)]
Contemporary with the silversmith’s work it is interesting to notice
in passing what the potter was doing. We illustrate (p. 161) a Lambeth
delft salt cellar of the late seventeenth century. Its height is only
4¹/₂ inches. It simulates the silver style. The guards or handles are
more shell-like in form than those of the silversmith. The technique
of the potter with his twisting of the plastic clay is responsible of
this. But the furniture maker of the period has something to add, too,
in regard to this form of ornament. In his technique it is termed the
“Spanish foot.” It appears in feet and in the scrolls of handles for
chairs.
A salt cellar of Rouen faience is illustrated (p. 161) of the early
eighteenth century. In height this is 3 inches. It shows the square
form, with slight depressed surface at apex for the salt, as though
the salt were a rare commodity. It is interesting, and should help the
student to cast his eyes farther afield in attempting to arrive at
conclusions in regard to definite styles.
Of Trencher salts there is much to say. All that is not poetry is
prose, as Monsieur Jourdain found out. A salt may be Standing--that is,
it may be a ceremonial piece demanding the ritual of its order--or it
may be a mere trencher salt; the name indicates its usage. Instead of
being among the great folk, it was among the dependents at the lower
stratum of the table. Trencher salts were once menial in the earlier
periods, but as time went on the great standing salt disappeared and
trencher salts became general for gentle and simple.
Throughout the eighteenth century, from Queen Anne to George IV (1820),
and in succeeding years the salts were all trencher salts--because
there were none other.
In the early days trencher salts were associated with servility or with
dependence, but later the salt at the elbow of the master of the feast
carried with it nothing derogatory.
From Queen Anne, 1702, to the end of the reign of George I, 1727,
little difference is noticeable and the lowly trencher salt changes
very slightly. It is oblong or it becomes octagonal. But in practical
form it is substantially the same. Two specimens exhibiting this are
given (p. 165).
The circular salts, with three feet, belong to the early George III
period. The feet in these are in hoof form with cone-shaped terminals
(see illustration, p. 165).
The early George III period exhibits other varieties of the salt
cellar. There was the wire-work cellar with cast additions, and the
pierced and cut sheet silver. Most of these types are oblong in shape
and were designed to receive a glass liner. These specimens are usually
with four feet. The example dated 1769 is of wire work. The other
example adjacent with floral wreath, dated 1785, is in the French
style, which became prevalent at the last quarter of the eighteenth
century. The feet of these examples are usually claw-and-ball or lion’s
paw feet. It may be interesting to note the contemporary styles of the
chair maker. The same influences were at work governing the worker in
wood and the craftsman in metal.
[Illustration: TRENCHER SALTS.
QUEEN ANNE. 1712.
GEORGE II. 1730.
CIRCULAR SALT WITH THREE FEET.
EARLY GEORGE III. 1768.
GEORGE III. 1785.
Feet with hoof-shaped and cone-shaped terminals.
(_By courtesy of Messrs. Elkington & Co._)]
[Illustration: SALTS WITH GLASS LINER AND FOUR FEET.
EARLY GEORGE III. 1769.
Floral wreaths and chain period in French style.
GEORGE III. 1785.
Claw and ball feet and lion’s paw feet.
Wire work with cast additions and pierced and cut sheet silver.]
[Illustration: CIRCULAR SALT WITH THREE FEET. OBLONG SALT WITH FOUR
FEET.
GEORGE III. 1786.
Cloven hoof feet.
GEORGE III. 1789.
Feet with club terminal.
(_By courtesy of Messrs. Elkington & Co._)]
The cloven-hoof foot or the club terminal are found in the round shaped
salt cellar in the same period or slightly later. Usually this type is
found with three feet. This plain form dispenses with the glass liner.
Towards the close of the eighteenth century the styles become varied.
There is the tureen form, from which type many variations are based.
Similarly the boat-shaped salt is typical of many similar plain designs
of this nature--some with two handles.
The examples illustrated (p. 171), in vogue from 1781 to 1797, show the
generic type from which similar forms deviate.
As in the above types the swelling foot is a feature, so with other
examples, from 1789 to 1803, the foot disappears. The piece in date
1789, illustrated (p. 171), may be compared with similar circular forms
made by the Staffordshire potters in lustreware for cottage use.
The washing-tub shaped salt cellar, in date 1803, indicates the
decadence of design. The opening years of the nineteenth century show
these poor forms in replacement of the early designs.
Specimens of the days of George IV and William IV (one in date 1820 and
the other 1832) are illustrated (p. 173). Here is a reversion to older
forms, the tureen shape with gadrooned edge and with four legs, and the
circular form with three legs.
Of the circular form the classic rotund urn or vase shape seized the
fancy of the silversmith at various periods. As early as 1771 we find
the form in the perforated work, with swags and classic ornamentation,
rather suggestive of French fashions, and obviously intended for use
with a glass liner. This is illustrated (p. 173), and adjacent is a
piece dated 1810, made by Messrs. Rundell, Bridge, and Rundell, of
the late George III period. It is important, as it is silver-gilt. It
stands as typical of the attempt to popularize the Pompeiian forms. The
winged figure, found on tables of the period, the tripod feet of club
or goat-like form, the base with key-pattern ornament, stamp it as of
the First Empire. George III was not yet dead, he was only insane, and
Bonaparte had not been banished to St. Helena. In fact, Wellington was
fighting in Spain, and Waterloo had yet to be fought in 1815. But here
is a piece with the same artistic impulses as the chairs and tables at
Fontainebleau.
The story of the salt cellar comes to an end. Its customs and its
dignities are lost except to those who love the delving into the record
of the manners of past days, “now here, at upper end o’ the table,
now i’ the middle.” The salt cellar has a complete history for three
hundred years, and with its evolution _pari passu_ is the march of
social custom.
SALE PRICES
STANDING SALTS.
£
Elizabethan (1573), 10 oz. 245
“ (1577), 13 oz. 18 dwts. 720@
James I (bell-shaped) (1608) 336
” “ (1613) 1,150@@@
[Illustration: GEORGE III SALTS WITH SWELLING FOOT.
1781-1790.
The tureen-form salt, from which type many variations are based.
1791-1797.
The boat shaped salt, typical of many similar plain designs, some with
handles.]
[Illustration: THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE FOOT.
GEORGE III. 1789.
The circular salt. Simultaneously with this the Staffordshire potters
made similar forms in lustre ware for cottage use.
GEORGE III. 1803.
The washing-tub salt. The decadence of design is shown in the opening
years of nineteenth century, when poor forms replaced the early styles.
(_By courtesy of Messrs. Elkington & Co._)]
[Illustration: REVERSION TO OLDER FORMS.
GEORGE IV. 1820.
WILLIAM IV. 1832.
Three feet and four feet both employed.]
[Illustration: CIRCULAR SALT CELLARS IN VOGUE.
GEORGE III. 1771.
Perforated work with classic ornament.
LATE GEORGE III. 1810.
Made by Rundell, Bridge & Rundell.
Attempt to adopt new forms, Pompeian and others; tripod feet very small.
(_By courtesy of Messrs. Elkington & Co._)]
TRENCHER SALTS.
£
William and Mary, 235s. per oz. 20
William III (3) (1698), 132s. per oz. 60
Queen Anne (2), oval (1708), 165s. per oz. 40
“ (2), circular (1713), 195s. per oz. 28@
George I bring from 60s. to 80s. per oz.
George II bring about 30s. to 40s. per oz. Sets
of four and six bring higher prices per oz.
After this date prices drop considerably.@
V
THE SPOON