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Source Description
In 16th-century France, salt was costly and often displayed in exceptionally designed and decorated salt cellars that reinforced wealth and status. Still elegantly designed and ornamented, this triple salt cellar is small, a result of the decreasing decorative and symbolic importance of salt in the latter half of the 1700s. With its floral decoration and whimsical monkey-shaped handle, this object’s design is characteristic of the Rococo style.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
130543
label
Triple Salt Cellar
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
130543
contentType
object
title
Triple Salt Cellar
description
In 16th-century France, salt was costly and often displayed in exceptionally designed and decorated salt cellars that reinforced wealth and status. Still elegantly designed and ornamented, this triple salt cellar is small, a result of the decreasing decorative and symbolic importance of salt in the latter half of the 1700s. With its floral decoration and whimsical monkey-shaped handle, this object’s design is characteristic of the Rococo style.
date
c. 1765
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79912403
creators
14014
genreSpecific
Ceramic
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 7.7 x 10.2 cm (3 1/16 x 4 in.)
cul
France
accession
1953.279
Source extras
tec
Soft-paste porcelain with enamel decoration
tombstone
Triple Salt Cellar, c. 1765. Mennecy Factory (French). Soft-paste porcelain with enamel decoration; overall: 7.7 x 10.2 cm (3 1/16 x 4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1953.279
collection
Decorative Arts
inscriptions
inscription
[Incised]: DV
didYouKnow
This triple salt cellar might have held a variety of ingredients including powdered spices, celery or garlic salt.
creditline
John L. Severance Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:45:06.208000
sourceId
130543
dept
Decorative Art and Design
coll
Decorative Arts
med
Soft-paste porcelain with enamel decoration
creatorTags
gender unknown
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
0725b703aec99868