French Renaissance Display Salt Celler in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, July 2016

Salt Cellar

Date:mid-16th century

Culture:French, Saint-Porchaire or Paris

Medium:Lead-glazed earthenware inlaid with slip, with molded ornament

Dimensions:Height: 6 7/8 in. (17.5 cm)

Classification:Ceramics-Pottery

Credit Line:Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917

Accession Number:17.190.1744

The seated female figure with her ankle on her knee may represent Venus (Aphrodite), born of the sea and thus a suitable adornment for a receptacle designed to hold salt, although the present example was meant solely for display. The goddess was frequently depicted in this pose, either bathing or removing a thorn from her foot. The other niches contain a hoofed, hairy figure, possibly a satyr, and a putto holding the arms of France.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/194245