Double salt or pepper box

By the late 17th century, salt, which had been contained in extraordinarily ornate receptacles during the medieval and renaissance periods, had lost its prior ceremonial significance. Changes in customs and dining practices led to spice and condiments being used at a diner’s discretion.



The two shell-like covers of this box conceal shallow compartments for salt or pepper. Rococo-style salt or pepper boxes like this one were made in matching sets that were arranged around the dining table in front of each guest or, alternatively, positioned between two guests. The fluted covers and scrolling feet were intended to reflect the flickering candlelight. Although the shell-shaped lids may allude to the marine origins of salt, it is not known exactly which spices its compartments once held.



Daughter of one of the founders of the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company, Catherine D. Wentworth (1865–1948) was an art student and painter who lived in France for thirty years. She became one of the most important American collectors of eighteenth-century French silver and on her death in 1948 bequeathed part of her significant collection of silver, gold boxes, French furniture, and textiles to the Metropolitan Museum. The collection is particularly strong in domestic silver as illustrated by these salt and pepper boxes.