Cellini Salt Cellar, Gold salt cellar in Kunsthistorisches Museum, Austria
The Cellini Salt Cellar is a gold sculpture in the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna that was made as a tabletop centerpiece for holding seasonings. The work shows two reclining figures on an oval base made of ebony and ivory, with both bodies rendered in full anatomical detail.
Benvenuto Cellini made this tabletop object between 1540 and 1544 on commission from King Francis I of France. The object later came into the possession of Habsburg rulers and became part of the imperial collection now housed in the Vienna museum.
The male figure holds a trident and sits near a small ship, while the female figure rests beside a temple holding a cornucopia. These mythological characters show how people in the Renaissance connected everyday table rituals with learned symbols drawn from ancient legend and philosophy.
The piece stands in its own glassed room that allows viewing from all sides. Visitors should take time to observe the fine surface work and the small details such as shells and plants up close.
The salt cellar was stolen in 2003 and recovered three years later buried in a lead box in a forest northeast of Vienna. The figures were not only decorative but the recesses beside them actually held salt and pepper for the royal table.
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