# Saltcellar [View the canonical artwork record]() ## Artwork - Artist: [UNKNOWN GOLDSMITH, French]() - Date: 1201-1250 - Technique: Gold, rock crystal, emeralds, pearls, ruby, height 14 cm ## Commentary Saltcellar c. 1250 Gold, rock crystal, emeralds, pearls, ruby, height 14 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York This accomplished example of Parisian goldsmiths' work - with its boat-shaped receptacle - originally functioned as a container for a precious commodity such as salt or spice. Because of its rarity, salt was traditionally kept in separate containers. The tiny serpent handle, often a feature on such salts, was possibly a reference to the widespread medieval belief in the power of serpent tongues to warn of the presence of poison. ## Related artworks - [Allegory of Faith in Baptism]() - [Angel Reliquary \(detail\)]() - [Angel Reliquary]() - [Aquamanile]() - [Binding of a Book of Hours]() - [Bust Reliquary]() - [Butterfly Reliquary]() - [Casket with Scenes of Courtly Love]() - [Casket with Scenes of Courtly Love]() - [Corpus]() - [Enseigne with battle composition]() - [Fibula of Picquigny]() ## Attribution [Web Gallery of Art]()